Q: What visual change marks the beginning of prophase?
A: Chromatin condenses into visible chromosomes.

Q: How can you distinguish metaphase under a microscope?
A: Chromosomes line up at the metaphase plate in the center of the cell.

Q: What key feature is observed during anaphase?
A: Sister chromatids separate and move toward opposite poles.

Q: What happens during telophase that differentiates it from prophase?
A: Chromosomes decondense, and the nuclear envelope reforms around each set of chromosomes.

Q: How is cytokinesis observed in animal cells under a microscope?
A: A cleavage furrow forms, pinching the cell into two.

Q: What is the key identifier of cytokinesis in plant cells?
A: Formation of the cell plate along the center of the cell.

Q: How can you tell a cell is in S phase when viewing cells under a microscope?
A: S phase is not visually distinct under a microscope without specific staining for DNA synthesis.

Q: What microscopic features indicate a cell is in G1 phase?
A: Cells appear normal with no visible signs of chromosome condensation.

Q: What are centrosomes and how are they observed during cell division?
A: Centrosomes are microtubule-organizing centers that duplicate during cell division, visible as two distinct spots near the nucleus.

Q: What structural change in the nuclear membrane is seen during prophase?
A: The nuclear membrane breaks down.

Q: How do spindle fibers appear under a microscope during cell division?
A: As fine threads stretching across the cell from pole to pole, attaching to chromosomes at their centromeres.

Q: What indicates a cell in late telophase under a microscope?
A: Reappearance of the nucleolus and the nuclear envelope.

Q: What does a cell in early prophase look like under a microscope?
A: Chromatin begins to condense, becoming more visible, and the nucleolus starts to disappear.

Q: How can mitotic spindles be enhanced visually under a microscope?
A: By staining with fluorescent antibodies targeting tubulin.

Q: What are the visible differences between metaphase and anaphase?
A: In metaphase, chromosomes are aligned at the center, whereas in anaphase, they are pulled apart toward the poles.

Q: How do you identify a cell in G2 phase under a microscope?
A: Cells in G2 phase are larger in size, with a clearly defined nucleus, but without visible chromosomes.

Q: What distinguishes a cell in the S phase visually from G1 and G2 phases?
A: DNA replication is occurring, but this is typically not visible without specific labeling of newly synthesized DNA.

Q: What phase precedes metaphase and how is it recognized?
A: Prophase; recognized by the beginning of chromatin condensation.

Q: How can you determine if a cell is undergoing mitosis rather than cytokinesis?
A: Mitosis involves the division of the nucleus and its contents, visible through stages of chromosomal alignment and separation, whereas cytokinesis is the division of the cytoplasm.

Q: What cellular structure is essential for chromosome movement and how can it be observed?
A: The mitotic spindle is essential for chromosome movement, observed as fibers extending from the centrosomes to the chromosomes.

Q: How are chromatids positioned during metaphase?
A: Chromatids are aligned at the metaphase plate.

Q: What is a distinctive feature of late anaphase under a microscope?
A: Chromatids reach the opposite poles and the cell begins to elongate.

Q: How can you differentiate between early and late prophase?
A: Early prophase shows initial chromatin condensation; late prophase shows more distinct chromosomes and the nuclear envelope begins to break down.

Q: What is a visible indicator of a cell in interphase under a microscope?
A: The nucleus is intact and chromatin appears as a diffuse network.

Q: How do you identify a plant cell in cytokinesis?
A: Look for the formation of a new cell wall at the cell’s center.

Q: What phase is characterized by the formation of two daughter nuclei?
A: Telophase.

Q: How can early telophase be identified microscopically?
A: Chromosomes start to decondense and the nuclear envelope re-forms.

Q: What cellular changes indicate a cell is in prometaphase?
A: The nuclear envelope fragments and spindle fibers attach to kinetochores.

Q: How does the spindle apparatus appear during metaphase?
A: It is fully formed and aligns chromosomes along the metaphase plate.

Q: What staining technique is used to enhance visibility of chromosomes during mitosis?
A: Giemsa stain or DAPI for DNA.

Q: Which phase is characterized by the disappearance of the nucleolus?
A: Prophase.

Q: What are the signs of a cell entering prophase under a microscope?
A: Chromatin condenses into visible chromosomes, and the nucleolus fades.

Q: During which phase do centrioles move to opposite poles?
A: Prophase.

Q: How can you distinguish cytokinesis in animal cells?
A: Look for the cleavage furrow that pinches the cytoplasm.

Q: What microscopy technique allows observation of live cell division?
A: Phase contrast microscopy.

Q: How do chromosomes look during metaphase?
A: Thick, coiled, and aligned at the cell’s equator.

Q: How can one observe the cell cycle phase S under a microscope?
A: By incorporating BrdU labeling, which is detected by specific antibodies.

Q: What characterizes the G0 phase under the microscope?
A: Cells show a normal structure without signs of division.

Q: How is the metaphase-anaphase transition identified?
A: By the movement of sister chromatids from the equatorial plane toward opposite poles.

Q: What microscopic evidence indicates a cell is in late G2 phase?
A: The cell shows increased size and prepares for mitosis, though chromosomes are not yet visible.

Q: How does chromosome condensation progress through prophase?
A: Chromosomes progressively condense from a stringy network into distinct X-shaped structures.

Q: What phase follows telophase in cell division? A: Cytokinesis.

Q: How can you identify metaphase in a fluorescence microscope?
A: By using a DNA stain that highlights chromosomes aligned at the cell center.

Q: What microscopy signs indicate a cell is in anaphase?
A: Chromosomes visibly separate and move to opposite ends of the cell.

Q: Which phase involves the reformation of the nucleolus?
A: Telophase.

Q: What visual cues suggest a cell is in the late stages of mitosis?
A: Decondensing chromosomes and dividing cytoplasm.

Q: How is the cell plate involved in plant cell cytokinesis?
A: It forms at the center of the cell, dividing it into two daughter cells.

Q: What changes occur during the S phase under a microscope?
A: DNA replication, though not visually distinct without specific staining.

Q: How does chromatin appearance differ between interphase and prophase?
A: Chromatin is less condensed in interphase compared to the thicker, more distinct chromosomes in prophase.

Q: What structural components are involved in chromosome movement?
A: The mitotic spindle and motor proteins are key in this process.

Q: How can one visualize the spindle checkpoint in cell division?
A: It is typically studied using specific antibodies and fluorescence microscopy to detect activated checkpoint proteins.

Q: What cell organelles are particularly visible during telophase?
A: The Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum, as they reorganize around the divided nuclei.

Q: How do centrioles appear under the microscope during mitosis?
A: As paired structures near the nucleus that move apart as the cell prepares to divide.

Q: What staining method helps differentiate the phases of cell division?
A: Immunofluorescence using antibodies specific to cell cycle proteins.

Q: How can you identify apoptosis versus mitosis under a microscope?
A: Apoptosis features cell shrinkage and nuclear fragmentation, unlike the orderly process of mitosis.

Q: What are kinetochores and how can they be observed during mitosis?
A: Kinetochore are protein structures on chromosomes where spindle fibers attach, visible with immunostaining.

Q: What microscopy technique is used to observe chromosome separation in anaphase?
A: Live-cell imaging using time-lapse microscopy can effectively capture this dynamic process.

Q: How can a polar body indicate cell division in oocytes?
A: It appears as a small bud from the oocyte during meiosis, indicating non-symmetric cell division.

Q: What role does the cytoskeleton play during cytokinesis?
A: It facilitates the contraction of the cell membrane to form two separate cells.

Q: How do microtubules function in cell division?
A: They form the spindle apparatus that separates chromosomes during anaphase.

Q: What is the significance of nuclear envelope breakdown in mitosis?
A: It allows spindle fibers to attach to chromosomes for their distribution to daughter cells.

Q: What cellular changes signify a transition from metaphase to anaphase?
A: The onset of chromatid separation marks this transition.

Q: How does the arrangement of microtubules change from prophase to metaphase?
A: Microtubules reorganize from a dispersed arrangement to a structured spindle.

Q: What differences are visible under a microscope between a cell in interphase and one in mitosis?
A: Cells in interphase have a clear nuclear boundary and dispersed chromatin, whereas mitotic cells show condensed chromosomes and no distinct nuclear envelope.

Q: How do centromeres appear during metaphase?
A: They are located at the center of chromosomes, aligned at the metaphase plate.

Q: What is the visual indication of a cell entering G1 phase post-mitosis?
A: The cell appears with a normal nucleus and begins to grow in size.

Q: How is fluorescence microscopy used to identify cell cycle phases?
A: By staining specific cell cycle markers, each phase can be distinctly visualized.

Q: What changes occur to the mitotic spindle during telophase?
A: The spindle apparatus disassembles as the cell prepares to complete division.

Q: What microscopic signs accompany the end of cytokinesis?
A: Complete division of the cytoplasm and formation of two separate cell membranes.

Q: How are organelles distributed during mitosis?
A: Organelles are evenly distributed to daughter cells during cytokinesis.