Lesson 5:

Cell Reproduction
and Differentiation
 Properties of Living Cells

Micrograph by ekem

• They maintain life.

• They reproduce.
• They respond to their environment.
• They live, grow, die, and are recycled. Photo Collage by Justin, using Wikimedia
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 Cells Maintain Life
Cells manufacture products necessary
to maintain the life of the cell and
thus, the organism.
• One vital product is protein.
• Cells make proteins in a two-step
process.
 Transcription & Translation
1. DNA is made up of the information necessary to create proteins.

2. Transcription of DNA yields mRNA, a copy of the DNA information the cell
needs to create a protein.

3. The mRNA goes to a ribosome outside the nucleus.

4. The tRNAs carry amino acids to the ribosome. Amino acids are the building
blocks of proteins.

5. During translation, the ribosome uses the information in the mRNA to

determine how many and what kinds of amino acids to use and how to
arrange them to create the protein.
 Cells Reproduce
Cells reproduce by dividing by two different
division mechanisms:
•Mitosis
•Growth, repair, and maintenance.
•Occurs in body (somatic) cells.
•One round of chromosome replication,
then cytokinesis.
•Maintains diploid chromosome
number.
•Results in two diploid daughter cells.
•Meiosis
•Produces gametes (sperm & eggs).
•Occurs in gonads (testes and ovaries).
•Two rounds of chromosome
partitioning, then cytokinesis.
•Changes diploid chromosomes to
singular (haploid).
•Results in four haploid daughter cells.

© John Schmidt (JWSchmidt)

 The Life Cycle of a Cell
• Two phases:
• Division (mitotic or meiotic)
• Interphase
• Interphase includes 3 stages:
• Growth stage 1
• Synthesis stage
• Growth stage 2
The Life Cycle of a Cell
The Life Cycle of a Cell
 Cell Division:
Important Background Information
• Different kinds of cells inside our bodies divide at
different rates.
• What kind of cell would divide rapidly? Why?
• What kind of cell would divide slowly? Why?
• Somatic cells divide by mitosis.
• The result is two genetically identical cells.
• Germ cells divide by a process called meiosis.
• The result in males is four genetically unique sperm
cells.
• The result in females is one genetically unique egg
cell plus (almost always) 2 polar bodies.
• Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes/cell, a total of 46
chromosomes.
• Our mothers gave us 23 of our chromosomes.
• Our fathers gave us 23 of our chromosomes.
• Why do we say we have 23 pairs?
• Cell division is preceded by chromosome
replication (duplication).
• So how many chromosomes do human cells have just
as they start to divide?
Mitosis and Meiosis
Meiosis in
Sperm
Meiosis in
Oocytes
(Eggs)
 Cells Respond to their Environment
They undergo
differentiation,
turning into different
forms that handle
different functions.

Diagram from NCBI