where is mitosis in the cell cycle before and after
Mitosis happens in the M phase of the cell cycle, between interphase (G₁, S, G₂) before and cytokinesis after.
Simple placement in the cell cycle
- Before mitosis: the cell is in interphase (G₁ → S → G₂).
- Mitosis itself: prophase → prometaphase → metaphase → anaphase → telophase (this is the mitotic phase of nuclear division).
- After mitosis: usually cytokinesis , when the cytoplasm splits and two separate daughter cells form.
So, in order: G₁ → S → G₂ → Mitosis → Cytokinesis.
“Before and after” in plain words
- Before mitosis :
- DNA has already been replicated during S phase, so each chromosome has two sister chromatids.
* The cell has grown and checked for DNA damage in G₂.
- During mitosis :
- Chromosomes condense (prophase), line up in the middle (metaphase), separate to opposite poles (anaphase), and new nuclei form (telophase).
- After mitosis :
- Cytokinesis completes cell division, and each daughter cell enters G₁ of a new cell cycle.
Tiny story to remember it
Imagine a student copying notes:
- They prepare and copy notes (interphase: G₁, S, G₂).
- They sort and split the pages into two equal sets (mitosis).
- They hand each set to two classmates (cytokinesis, then back to G₁).
TL;DR: Mitosis sits after G₂ of interphase and just before cytokinesis, making up the M phase of the cell cycle.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
