Blastomere Mitosis Movie

From Embryology
Embryo mitosis icon.jpg

Movie shows mitotic division of the early embryo (c. elegans) starting at the mitotic spindle between the 2 cell blastomere stage.

Movie starts at the 2 blastomere stage with the mitotic spindle still present and the chromosomes undergoing separation (metaphase to anaphase) into the daughter cells (telophase).

The 2 cells then complete division by cytokinesis separating the cytoplasm, organelles within the cytoplasm are divided between the 2 cells.

Rings (red and blue) then identify cell chromosome (nuclei) location in each cell following mitotic division.

Note the increasingly unsynchronized mitotic cell divisions and that the absence of cell cycle growth phases (G1 and G2) lead to smaller daughter cells with each division.

The movie finishes at the solid "morula" stage.

Elapsed time is shown in the upper lefthand corner.

Movie source: Dr Charles Thomas

Links: MP4 version | Cell Division - Mitosis | Worm Development | Movies