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Amitosis: a historical misinterpretation?

P Pfitzer

    Pathology, Research and Practice
    |January 1, 1980
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Amitosis, or direct cell division, is a misinterpretation of incomplete mitosis. Binucleate cells in tissues like the myocardium result from inhibited cell division, not amitosis.

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    Area of Science:

    • Cell Biology
    • Histology
    • Developmental Biology

    Background:

    • The concept of amitosis, or direct cell division, has been debated for over a century.
    • Historically, many observed instances of amitosis have been attributed to misinterpretations of nuclear division processes.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To re-evaluate the phenomenon of amitosis, particularly in the context of binucleate cell formation in the myocardium.
    • To clarify the mechanisms underlying the formation of binucleate cells and restitution nuclei.

    Main Methods:

    • Review of historical literature on amitosis.
    • Microscopic examination of myocardial tissue, including postnatal pig hearts with immediate fixation.
    • Analysis of mitotic indices at different postnatal ages.

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    Main Results:

    • Most previously described cases of amitosis are actually incomplete mitoses.
    • Binucleate cells and restitution nuclei result from mitotic inhibition, which is more prevalent in differentiated tissues.
    • Mitoses are observable in postnatal pig myocardium with immediate fixation, showing a decline in mitotic index with age.
    • Delayed fixation leads to degenerated nuclear stages, mimicking amitosis.

    Conclusions:

    • The formation of binucleate myocardial cells and nuclear rows is a consequence of mitosis with impeded cellular division, not amitosis.
    • The historical interpretation of amitosis in certain tissues is a methodological misinterpretation.