CHAPTER 11 STUDY GUIDE

11.1 CELL GROWTH, DIVISION AND

REPRODUCTION
Limits to Cell Size There are two main reasons why
cells divide:
 Information “overload”: The larger a cell gets;
the more demands it places on its DNA.
Eventually, the cell’s DNA cannot meet the
cell’s needs.
 Exchange of materials: Cells take in nutrients
and eliminate wastes through the cell
membrane.
 The larger a cell’s volume, the more The Cell Cycle The cell cycle is the series of
materials it needs to function and the events in the growth and division of a cell.
more waste it creates.  In the prokaryotic cell cycle, the cell grows,
duplicates its DNA, and divides by pinching in
 A cell’s volume increases at a faster rate
the cell membrane. The eukaryotic cell cycle
than its surface area. As a cell grows, its has four stages (the first three of which are
surface-area-to-volume ratio becomes too referred to as interphase):
small.  In the G1 phase, the cell grows.
 The larger a cell gets, the harder it is for  In the S phase, the cell replicates its DNA.
enough materials to move across its cell  In the G2 phase, the cell produces
membrane. organelles and materials for division.
 Cell division solves the information overload  In the M phase, the cell divides in two
and materials exchange problems. stages—mitosis, the division of the
nucleus, and cytokinesis, the division of
Cell Division and Reproduction Cell division is part the cytoplasm.
of both types of reproduction:
 Asexual reproduction:
 produces genetically identical organisms.
 occurs in many single-celled organisms
and in some multicellular organisms.
 allows rapid reproduction of organisms in
favorable environments.
 Sexual Reproduction:
 produces organisms with genetic
information from both parents.
 occurs in most animals and plants and in
many single-celled organisms.
 increases genetic diversity, which aids
species survival in changing
environments.

11.2 THE PROCESS OF CELL DIVISION

Chromosomes Packages of DNA called
chromosomes hold a cell’s genetic information.
Mitosis The division of the nucleus, mitosis,
occurs in four stages:
 Prokaryotic chromosomes consist of a single,
circular strand of DNA.  Prophase: a cell’s genetic material
condenses, a spindle starts to form, and the
 Eukaryotic chromosomes are highly organized
nuclear envelope breaks down.
structures.
 The DNA winds around histone proteins,  Metaphase: the duplicated chromosomes
line up and spindle fibers connect to the
forming chromatin.
centromeres. Spindle fibers extend from a
 Chromosomes make the precise region called the centrosome, where tiny
separation of DNA possible during cell paired structures called centrioles are
division. located.
CHAPTER 11 STUDY GUIDE
 Anaphase: sister chromatids, duplicated
strands of = DNA, separate and move toward
the centrioles. 11.4 CELL DIFFERENTIATION
 Telophase: the chromosomes begin to From One Cell to Many Multicellular organisms
unwind and a nuclear envelope reforms. produced via sexual reproduction begin life as a
Cytokinesis Division of the cytoplasm differs in single cell.
plant cells and animal cells.  Early cell divisions lead to the formation of an
 In animal cells, the cell membrane draws in embryo.
and pinches off.  Then, individual cells become specialized in
 In plant cells, a cell plate forms, followed by a both form and function through the process of
new cell membrane, and finally a new cell differentiation.
wall forms.  Once cells of a certain type, such as nerve
cells or muscle cells, have formed, the cells
cannot develop into a different type of cell.
Stem Cells and Development During an organism’s
development, some cells differentiate to become
a wide variety of body cells.
 A fertilized egg and the first few cells in an
embryo are able to form any kind of cell and
tissue. Such a cell is termed totipotent.
 A blastocyst is an embryonic stage that
consists of a hollow ball of cells. These cells
are able to become any type of body cell.
Such cells are termed pluripotent.
11.3 REGULATING THE CELL CYCLE  Unspecialized cells that can develop into
differentiated cells are called stem cells.
Controls on Cell Division Dozens of proteins Stem cells are found in embryos and in adults.
regulate the cell cycle.  Embryonic stem cells are the pluripotent
 Regulatory proteins work both inside and cells of an early embryo.
outside of the cell.  Adult stem cells are multipotent, which
 Internal regulators allow the cell cycle means they can produce many, but not
to proceed when certain events have all, types of differentiated cells.
occurred within a cell. Cyclins are internal Frontiers in Stem Cell Research Scientists want to
regulatory proteins that regulate the learn about the signals that tell a cell to become
timing of the cell cycle in eukaryotic cells. either specialized or multipotent.
 External regulators called growth  Potential benefits of stem cell research
factors stimulate the cell cycle. Other include the repair or replacement of damaged
external regulators cause the cell cycle to cells and tissues.
slow down or stop.  Research with human stem cells is
 Apoptosis is programmed cell death that controversial because it involves ethical
plays a key role in the development of tissues issues of life and death.
and organs.
Cancer: Uncontrolled Cell Growth Cancer is a
disorder in which cells divide uncontrollably,
forming a mass of cells called a tumor.
 Cancers are caused by defects in genes that
regulate cell growth.
 Treatments for cancer include:
 surgical removal of localized cancerous
tumors.
 radiation, which interferes with the
copying of DNA in multiplying cancer
cells.
 chemotherapy, which is the use of
chemicals to kill rapidly dividing cells,
which does include healthy cells, such as,
hair and nails.