Cell Cycle
The phase of the cell cycle that includes mitosis and cytokinesis
M Phase
The third stage of mitosis in which the spindle is complete and the chromosomes, attached to microtubules at their kinetochores, are all aligned at the metaphase plate
Metaphase
A cellular structure consisting of one DNA molecule and associated protein molecules.
Chromosome
A series of steps linking a mechanical, chemical or electrical stimulus to a specific cellular response
Signal Transduction Pathway
Any cell in a multicellular organism except a sperm or egg or their precursors
The synthesis phase of the cell cycle; the portion of interphase during which DNA is replicated
S Phase
The period in the cell cycle when the cell is not dividing. During interphase, cellular metabolic activity is high, chromosomes and organelles are duplicated, and cell size may increase.The period in the cell cycle when the cell is not dividing. During interphase, cellular metabolic activity is high, chromosomes and organelles are duplicated, and cell size may increase.
Interphase
A structure present in the cytoplasm of animal cells that functions as a microtubule-organizing center and is important during cell division.
Centrosome
In cellular communication, the conversion of a signal from outside the cell to a form that can bring about a specific cellular response
The conversion of a normal animal cell to a cancerous cell
Transformation
A nondividing state occupied by cells that have left the cell cycle, sometimes reversible
G0 Phase
The fourth stage of mitosis, in which the chromatids of each chromosome have separated and the daughter chromosomes are moving to the poles of the cell.
Anaphase
A membrane-bounded, flattened sac located at the midline of a dividing plant cell, inside which the new cell wall forms during cytokinesis
Cell Plate
A small, nonprotein, water-soluble molecule or ion, such as a calcium ion or cyclic AMP, that relays a signal to a cell’s interior in response to a signaling molecule bound by a signal receptor protein
Second Messengers
The spread of cancer cells to locations distant from their original site
Metastasis
The second gap, or growth phase, of the cell cycle, consisting of the portion of interphase after DNA synthesis has occurred
G2 Phase
The gift and final stage of mitosis, in which daughter nuclei are forming and cytokinesis has typically begun
Telophase
In a duplicated chromosome, the region on each sister chromatid where they are most closely attached to each other by proteins that bind to specific DNA sequences; this close attachment causes a constriction in the condensed chromosome
Centromere
In cellular communication, the change in a specific cellular activity brought about by a transduced signal from outside the cell
Response
A cancerous tumor containing cells that have significant genetic and cellular changes and are capable of invading and surviving in new sites.
Malignant tumor
The first gap, or growth phase, of the cell cycle, consisting of the portion of interphase before DNA synthesis begins.
G1 Phase
The first stage of mitosis, in which the chromatin condenses into discrete chromosomes visible with a light microscope, the mitotic spindle begins to form, and the nucleolus disappears but the nucleus remains intact.
Prophase
The complex of DNA and proteins that makes up eukaryotic chromosomes. When the cell is not dividing,
Chromatin
The binding of a signaling molecule to a receptor protein, activating the receptor by causing it to change shape.
Reception
A mass of abnormal cells with specific genetic and cellular changes such that the cells are not capable of surviving at a new site and generally remain at the site of the tumor’s origin
Benign tumor