Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
N a t i o n a l C a pi t a l Re g i o n
Sc h o o l s D i v i s i o n O f f i c e o f La s Pi ñ a s C i t y
Name: __________________________________________ Score: ___________________
Grade and Section: _________________________________ Teacher: _________________________________
Module in General Biology 1
Grade 12
First Quarter
Week 4
MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES
• Describe the stages of mitosis/meiosis given 2n=6 (STEM_BIO11/12-Id-f-7)
• Explain the significance or applications of mitosis/meiosis. (STEM_BIO11/12-Id-f-9)
WHAT’S IN Meiosis I
Haploid cells that are part of the sexual
reproductive cycle are produced by a type of cell Prophase I Metaphase I Anaphase I Telophase I
division called meiosis. Meiosis employs many of
the same mechanisms as mitosis. However, the
starting nucleus is always diploid and the nuclei
that result at the end of a meiotic cell division are
haploid. To achieve this reduction in
chromosomes, meiosis consists of one round of
chromosome duplication and two rounds of nuclear
division. Because the events that occur during each
of the division stages are analogous to the events
of mitosis, the same stage names are assigned.
However, because there are two rounds of division,
the major process and the stages are designated
with a “I” or a “II.”
Meiosis I
Meiosis is preceded by an interphase consisting of the G1, S, and G2 phases, which are nearly identical to the phases
preceding mitosis.
Prophase I
Early in prophase I, before the chromosomes can be seen clearly microscopically, the homologous chromosomes
are attached at their tips to the nuclear envelope by proteins. As the nuclear envelope begins to break down, the proteins
associated with homologous chromosomes bring the pair close to each other. The synaptonemal complex, a lattice of
proteins between the homologous chromosomes, first forms at specific locations and then spreads to cover the entire length
of the chromosomes. The tight pairing of the homologous chromosomes is called synapsis. In synapsis, the genes on the
chromatids of the homologous chromosomes are aligned precisely with each other. The synaptonemal complex supports
the exchange of chromosomal segments between non-sister homologous chromatids, a process called crossing over.
Crossing over can be observed visually after the exchange as chiasmata (singular=chiasma).
Following crossover, the synaptonemal complex breaks down and the cohesin connection between homologous
pairs is also removed. At the end of prophase I, the pairs are held together only at the chiasmata and are called tetrads
because the four sister chromatids of each pair of homologous chromosomes are now visible.
Prometaphase I
The key event in prometaphase I is the attachment of the spindle fiber microtubules to the kinetochore proteins at
the centromeres. The microtubules attach at each chromosomes’ kinetochores. With each member of the homologous pair
attached to opposite poles of the cell, in the next phase, the microtubules can pull the homologous pair apart. At the end
of prometaphase I, each tetrad is attached to microtubules from both poles, with one homologous chromosome facing each
pole. The homologous chromosomes are still held together at chiasmata. In addition, the nuclear membrane has broken
down entirely.
Metaphase I
During metaphase I, the homologous chromosomes are arranged in the center of the cell with the kinetochores
facing opposite poles. The homologous pairs orient themselves randomly at the equator. This randomness is the physical
basis for the creation of the second form of genetic variation in offspring. In each cell that undergoes meiosis, the
arrangement of the tetrads is different. The number of variations is dependent on the number of chromosomes making up
a set. There are two possibilities for orientation at the metaphase plate; the possible number of alignments therefore equals
2n, where n is the number of chromosomes per set. Humans have 23 chromosome pairs, which results in over eight million
(223) possible genetically-distinct gametes. This number does not include the variability that was previously created in the
sister chromatids by crossover. Given these two Meiosis II
mechanisms, it is highly unlikely that any two
haploid cells resulting from meiosis will have the Prophase II Metaphase II Anaphase II Telophase II
same genetic composition. To summarize the
genetic consequences of meiosis I, the maternal and
paternal genes are recombined by crossover events
that occur between each homologous pair during
prophase I. In addition, the random assortment of
tetrads on the metaphase plate produces a unique
combination of maternal and paternal chromosomes
that will make their way into the gametes.
Anaphase I
In anaphase I, the microtubules pull the linked
chromosomes apart. The sister chromatids remain
tightly bound together at the centromere. The
chiasmata are broken in anaphase I as the
microtubules attached to the fused kinetochores
pull.
Telophase I and Cytokinesis
In telophase, the separated chromosomes arrive at opposite poles. The remainder of the typical telophase events may
or may not occur, depending on the species. In some organisms, the chromosomes decondense and nuclear envelopes
form around the chromatids in telophase I. In other organisms, cytokinesis—the physical separation of the cytoplasmic
components into two daughter cells—occurs without reformation of the nuclei. In nearly all species of animals and some
fungi, cytokinesis separates the cell contents via a cleavage furrow (constriction of the actin ring that leads to cytoplasmic
division). In plants, a cell plate is formed during cell cytokinesis by Golgi vesicles fusing at the metaphase plate. This cell
plate will ultimately lead to the formation of cell walls that separate the two daughter cells.
Two haploid cells are the result of the first meiotic division. The cells are haploid because at each pole, there is just one of
each pair of the homologous chromosomes. Therefore, only one full set of the chromosomes is present. Therefore the cells
are considered haploid—there is only one chromosome set, even though each homolog still consists of two sister chromatids.
In meiosis II, these two sister chromatids will separate, creating four haploid daughter cells.
Meiosis II
In some species, cells enter a brief interphase, or interkinesis, before entering meiosis II. Interkinesis lacks an S phase,
so chromosomes are not duplicated. The two cells produced in meiosis I go through the events of meiosis II in synchrony.
During meiosis II, the sister chromatids within the two daughter cells separate, forming four new haploid gametes. The
mechanics of meiosis II is similar to mitosis, except that each dividing cell has only one set of homologous chromosomes.
Therefore, each cell has half the number of sister chromatids to separate out as a diploid cell undergoing mitosis.
Prophase II
If the chromosomes decondensed in telophase I, they condense again. If nuclear envelopes were formed, they fragment
into vesicles. The centrosomes that were
duplicated during interkinesis move away
from each other toward opposite poles, and
new spindles are formed.
Prometaphase II
The nuclear envelopes are completely
broken down, and the spindle is fully
formed. Each sister chromatid forms an
individual kinetochore that attaches to
microtubules from opposite poles.
Metaphase II
The sister chromatids are maximally
condensed and aligned at the equator of
the cell.
Anaphase II
The sister chromatids are pulled apart
by the kinetochore microtubules and move
toward opposite poles. Non-kinetochore
microtubules elongate the cell, the
homologous chromosomes apart.
Telophase II and Cytokinesis
The chromosomes arrive at opposite
poles and begin to decondense. Nuclear
envelopes form around the chromosomes.
Cytokinesis separates the two cells into four
unique haploid cells. At this point, the newly
formed nuclei are both haploid. The cells
produced are genetically unique because of
the random assortment of paternal and
maternal homologs and because of the
recombining of maternal and paternal
segments of chromosomes (with their sets
of genes) that occurs during crossover.
General Biology 1 Q1W1 Prepared by: Alvero, APS, Añano, JAP & Taguas, MES
