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Related Concept Videos

Meiosis vs. Mitosis02:57

Meiosis vs. Mitosis

Cell division is necessary for growth and reproduction in organisms. Mitosis aids cell growth and development by dividing somatic cells. In contrast, meiosis causes the division of germ cells and plays an essential role in sexual reproduction. Due to their unique functional requirements, mitosis and meiosis differ from each other in multiple aspects.
Before the start of mitosis and meiosis I, the cell synthesizes DNA, resulting in two homologous copies of each chromosome. DNA synthesis is...
Polytene Chromosomes02:04

Polytene Chromosomes

Polytene chromosomes are giant interphase chromosomes with several DNA strands placed side by side. They were discovered in the year 1881 by Balbiani in salivary glands, intestine, muscles, malpighian tubules, and hypoderm of larvae Chironomus plumosus. Hence, these are also called "Salivary gland chromosomes." These are found in insects of the order Diptera and Collembola; in certain organs of mammals; and synergids, antipodes of flowering plants. Polytene chromosomes are also regularly...
Meiosis I01:49

Meiosis I

Meiosis is a carefully orchestrated set of cell divisions, the goal of which—in humans—is to produce haploid sperm or eggs, each containing half the number of chromosomes present in somatic cells elsewhere in the body. Meiosis I is the first such division, and involves several key steps, among them: condensation of replicated chromosomes in diploid cells; the pairing of homologous chromosomes and their exchange of information; and finally, the separation of homologous chromosomes by a...
Meiosis I03:09

Meiosis I

Meiosis is the division of a diploid cell into haploid cells forming sperm and eggs in animals through differentiation. Meiosis I is the first stage of meiosis, where the genetic recombination of homologous chromosomes and the reduction of the ploidy level by half occurs.
Prophase I is the most extended and complex step of meiosis I characterized by synapsis, chromosome pairing, and recombination of the homologous chromosomes. This process is facilitated by a proteinaceous structure called the...
Nondisjunction01:29

Nondisjunction

During meiosis, chromosomes occasionally separate improperly. This occurs due to failure of homologous chromosome separation during meiosis I or failed sister chromatid separation during meiosis II. In some species, notably plants, nondisjunction can result in an organism with an entire additional set of chromosomes, which is called polyploidy. In humans, nondisjunction can occur during male or female gametogenesis and the resulting gametes possess one too many or one too few chromosomes.
Nondisjunction01:21

Nondisjunction

Nondisjunction is the failure of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids to separate correctly and move to the opposite poles of the cells. This produces daughter cells with abnormal chromosome numbers.  Nondisjunction is common during anaphase I or anaphase II of meiosis.  Mutations in synaptonemal complex proteins that attach homologous chromosomes increase the chances of nondisjunction in anaphase I of meiosis I. In contrast, mutations in topoisomerases and condensins that hold sister...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

A Drosophila Model to Study Wound-induced Polyploidization
07:27

A Drosophila Model to Study Wound-induced Polyploidization

Published on: June 9, 2020

Error-prone polyploid mitosis during normal Drosophila development.

Donald T Fox1, Joseph G Gall, Allan C Spradling

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Laboratories, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.

Genes & Development
|October 19, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Polyploid cells, normally not dividing, can re-enter mitosis during development. This polyploid mitosis is error-prone, potentially contributing to cancer genome instability.

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Techniques for Imaging Prometaphase and Metaphase of Meiosis I in Fixed Drosophila Oocytes
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Techniques for Imaging Prometaphase and Metaphase of Meiosis I in Fixed Drosophila Oocytes

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Microinjection Techniques for Studying Mitosis in the Drosophila melanogaster Syncytial Embryo
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Microinjection Techniques for Studying Mitosis in the Drosophila melanogaster Syncytial Embryo

Published on: September 15, 2009

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

A Drosophila Model to Study Wound-induced Polyploidization
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A Drosophila Model to Study Wound-induced Polyploidization

Published on: June 9, 2020

Techniques for Imaging Prometaphase and Metaphase of Meiosis I in Fixed Drosophila Oocytes
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Techniques for Imaging Prometaphase and Metaphase of Meiosis I in Fixed Drosophila Oocytes

Published on: October 31, 2016

Microinjection Techniques for Studying Mitosis in the Drosophila melanogaster Syncytial Embryo
09:25

Microinjection Techniques for Studying Mitosis in the Drosophila melanogaster Syncytial Embryo

Published on: September 15, 2009

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Endopolyploidy occurs when cells replicate DNA without dividing, common in development.
  • Polyploid cells typically do not divide mitotically after endocycles.
  • Polyploid cells in tumors are linked to aneuploidy and chromosomal instability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mitotic competence of polyploid cells during development.
  • To determine if the switch to endocycles is reversible.
  • To assess the fidelity of polyploid mitotic divisions.

Main Methods:

  • Observation of novel polyploid cell types in Drosophila melanogaster during adult rectal papillae formation.
  • Analysis of polyploid mitotic divisions in the ileum of Culex pipiens.
  • Examination of cell cycle regulator expression during polyploid mitosis.

Main Results:

  • A novel polyploid cell type in Drosophila undergoes normal mitotic cycles during development.
  • Polyploid mitotic divisions, but not depolyploidizing divisions, were observed in Culex pipiens.
  • Polyploid divisions showed frequent errors like extended anaphases, chromosome bridges, and lagging chromosomes, despite normal cell cycle regulator expression.

Conclusions:

  • The transition to endocycles during development is not necessarily irreversible.
  • Polyploid mitotic cycles are inherently error-prone.
  • Polyploid mitoses may contribute to cancer genome destabilization.