In mitosis, chromosomes are important. What are two things that happen to chromosomes during mitosis? The Role of Chromosomes in Mitosis

The Role of Chromosomes in Mitosis

Chromosomes are essential components of the process of mitosis, a type of cell division that produces two genetically identical daughter cells from a single parent cell. During mitosis, chromosomes play a critical role in ensuring that the genetic material is replicated properly and distributed accurately to the daughter cells. In this process, two main things happen to the chromosomes. The first is condensation, where the chromosomes become more compact and increasingly visible as the cell prepares to divide. This is accomplished by the shortening and thickening of the chromatin fibers, which are strands of DNA and protein that make up the chromosomes. The condensation of these fibers helps them to become more clearly discernible and allows for easier segregation during the separation of the chromosomes (Krishnan et al., 2020; Dhanasekaran et al., 2017). The second thing that happens to the chromosomes is segregation, which is the separation of the chromosomes into two sets of sister chromatids. This occurs during the metaphase stage of mitosis, when the two chromatids of each chromosome align themselves in the center of the cell facing each other. Once properly aligned, the kinetochore proteins bind to the centromere and generate tension to pull the sister chromatids apart so that they can move to the opposite poles of the cell (Bozhkov et al., 2019; Beaud et al., 2016). Cont…