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JA4. Cellular Division in plants and animals

Statement

In your readings, you learned about cellular division in both plant and animal cells. While they are similar in many ways, some key differences occur late in the mitotic division. Describe the similarities and differences between the cytokinesis mechanisms found in animal cells versus those in plant cells. Compose your work and submit to your Learning Journal.

Solution

The cell cycle is an ordered series of events that begins since the cell’s “birth” then its growth until it is ready to reproduce more cells. The cytokinesis is the last stage of the miotic phase, that is after all functions of miotic are done and the “yet-to-be daughter cells” are almost ready to be separated (Rye et al., 2016, p. 273).

During the cytokinesis, the two daughter cells are physically separated by building a new cell wall in the middle of the cell; but -as we know- the nature of the plant cell wall is different from the nature of the animal cell wall which is the source of the differences between the cytokinesis in plant cells and animal cells (Rye et al., 2016, p. 276).

In animal cells, cytokinesis follows the onset of anaphase, where a contractile ring of actin strings start to form within the plasma membrane, and start pulling the membrane inward forming a cleavage furrow until the two cells are separated (Rye et al., 2016, p. 276).

In plant cells, the process is a bit different as the Golgi apparatus starts accumulating enzymes and proteins that are necessary for building the new wall, and during the telophase, these Golgi vesicles move to the metaphase plate, then they merge together from the center towards the cell walls generating a cell plate that will eventually become the new cell wall (Rye et al., 2016, p. 277).

The table below summarizes some of the differences between the cytokinesis in plant cells and animal cells

Aspect Animal Cells Plant Cells
Nature of the cell wall Cell membrane only Extra wall that surround the cell membrane
Start time of the cytokinesis Anaphase Telophase
Structure that starts the cytokinesis Contractile ring of actin Golgi vesicles
Structure that separates the cells Cleavage furrow Cell plate

As a conclusion, the differences between the structure of the plant and animal cells represent itself on the cytokinesis process, where the plant cells use the Golgi vesicles to build a new cell wall, while the animal cells use a contractile ring of actin to pull the cell membrane inward forming a cleavage furrow.

References