Meiosis -Advanced

WEEK 5
 How do you make a cell with half the DNA?

How do you make a cell with half the DNA?

Meiosis, this process creates cells with half the DNA,
allowing two cells to come back together, enabling
the creation of new organisms with complete
chromosome numbers and ensuring genetic
variation.
Meiosis
Fertilization joins haploid gametes into diploid zygote.
Meiosis is a cell division that produces haploid cells, that halves
the number of chromosomes.
It is specific to gamete producing cells in the gonads.
It begins with a diploid cell and ends with four haploid cells.
These cells differentiate into mature sperm or egg cells.
Only germ cells like spermatocytes and oocytes can undergo
meiosis.
Meiosis involves two nuclear and cell divisions without an
interphase.
Each division, meiosis I and meiosis II, has four stages: Prophase,
metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, followed by cytokinesis.
 During meiosis,
homologous
chromosomes
separate and go to
different daughter
cells to produce
gametes with one
chromosome from
each pair. This
diagram shows just
the nuclei of the cells
. A human cell prior to meiosis will have 46
chromosomes, 22 pairs of homologous autosomes,
and 1 pair of sex chromosomes.

. At the end of meiosis, each haploid cell will have 22

autosomes (not pairs) and 1 sex chromosome, either
an X or a Y chromosome. One chromosome of each
pair was inherited from mother and the other from
father.
 The Eight Phases

There are eight stages of meiosis, divided into

meiosis I and meiosis II, in which cells go through
the same four phases as mitosis - prophase,
metaphase, anaphase and telophase. However,
there are important differences between meiosis
I and mitosis.
 Meiosis I
is referred to as a reductional division that
separates homologous chromosomes,
producing in two haploid cells. The starting
diploid cell has 46 chromosomes (23 pairs of
homologous chromosomes), each with two
sister chromatids attached at the centromere.
After cytokinesis, two haploid cells form.
 Prophase I
is the longest phase of meiosis. It involves
breaking down the nuclear envelope,
condensing chromatin into chromosomes, and
centriole migration. Homologous
chromosomes form pairs, allowing gene-for-
gene crossing-over, this process is also called
as homologous recombination, which is crucial
for genetic variation.
Prophase I can be divided into 5 distinct stages: Leptotene,
Zygotene, Pachytene, Diplotene and Diakinesis.

Leptotene - is the first prophase I stage, where

chromatin condenses into visible
chromosomes with two sister
chromatids and homologues,
allowing synaptonemal complex
begins to assemble.
Zygotene - this involves chromosomes pairing with
their homologue, forming homologous
chromosome pairs called synapsis. These
pairs are highly specific and exact, with
genes from the two chromosomes aligning
along the chromosome's length. These
paired chromosomes are called bivalent or
tetrad chromosomes.
Pachytene - the stage when chromosomal
crossover occurs, where non-sister
chromatids of homologous
chromosomes exchange segments over
homology regions, forming chiasmata
and resulting in genetic recombination,
more common in autosomes than sex
chromosomes.
Diplotene - is when the synaptonemal complex
degrades and homologous chromosomes
disassociate slightly, while in human fetal
oogenesis, all developing oocytes
develop to this stage and stop. This
suspended state of the oocytes is
referred to as the dictyotene stage and
the eggs remains in this stage until
released following puberty.
Diakinesis - chromosomes further condense.
The chiasmata remain intact during
this stage. The remainder of this
stage is similar to prometaphase of
mitosis: the nucleoli disappear, the
nuclear membrane disintegrates,
and the meiotic spindle begins to
form
Metaphase I - In metaphase I, 23 homologous
chromosome pairs line up along the
equator. During mitosis, 46
individual chromosomes line up. In
meiosis I, 23 pairs line up, moved by
spindle fibers attached to
centromeres. Gregor Mendel
suggested independent assortment
of chromosomes.
Anaphase I - During anaphase I, spindle fibers
shorten, separating homologous
chromosome pairs. This occurs as
chiasmata are severed, pulling
chromosomes apart. This results in 23
chromosomes at one pole and 23 at the
other, with sister chromatids attached
at the centromere.
Telophase -Telophase I, followed by cytokinesis,
ends the first division of meiosis,
resulting in two haploid cells with
unique chromosome combinations. The
spindle fiber disassembles, and the
nucleus reforms. Cells may enter
interkinesis or meiosis II, without DNA
replication between them.
Meiosis II - Meiosis II involves chromosome
division, separating sister chromatids.
Four haploid cells with 23
chromosomes result after cytokinesis,
with each chromosome containing DNA
equivalent to a mitotic cell.
Prophase II - the nucleolus disappears and the
nucleus breaks down. The chromatin
condenses into chromosomes. The
spindle begins to reform as the
centrioles move to opposite sides of
the cell.
Metaphase II - Metaphase II involves spindle fibers
aligning 23 chromosomes along the
cell's equator, rotating the new
metaphase plate 90 degrees
perpendicular to meiosis I.
Anaphase II - a stage in cell division where
chromatids are separated, similar to
mitosis. The centromeres are
cleaved, resulting in sister
chromatids moving to opposite cell
poles. This process creates 23
chromosomes, each with half the
genetic material at the beginning.
Telophase II - Telophase II and cytokinesis end
meiosis, causing the nucleus to
reform and spindle fibers to
break down. Chromosomes uncoil
into chromatin, and each cell
undergoes cytokinesis, producing
four haploid cells.
 Significance of Mitosis
Cancer and Cell Cycle -
Cancer is a disease that occurs when the cell cycle is
no longer regulated, often due to DNA damage from
exposure to radiation or toxic chemicals. Cancerous
cells generally divide much faster than normal cells.
They may form a mass of abnormal cells called a
tumor, that consume necessary nutrients and space,
causing tissue and organ damage and ultimately
leading to death.
 These cells
are cancer
cells, growing
out of control
and forming a
tumor
 Significance of Meiosis
It maintains constancy of chromosome
number within a species, increases
genetic variability and helps in the
process of evolution
THANK YOU
SO MUCH