Cell Cycle

The cell cycle is the sequence of events that occurs leading up to and during somatic cell division. There are two main parts of the cell cycle: interphase (during which a cell prepares to divide) and the mitotic phase (during which division occurs). Interphase itself consists of three main subphases: G1, S, and G2. During G1, the cell becomes highly active, preparing for division by duplicating many of its organelles and synthesizing proteins. In the S phase, the cell replicates its DNA, so there are two complete copies available. The final part of interphase is G2, during which the cell continues to increase in size and produce further proteins necessary for division. After G2, the cell enters the second part of the cell cycle: the mitotic phase. The mitotic phase consists of two processes, mitosis (the division of the nucleus) and cytokinesis (the division of the cytoplasm). Mitosis has four stages: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. By the end of mitosis, the DNA that was duplicated in t