Question

Assume you are analyzing the cell division process (mitosis and cytokinesis) in two individuals - a 10 year old male human and a 50 year old male human. Contrast the purpose of cell division and the locations where you would find cell division in these two individuals.

Answer 1

Mitosis is a type of cell division where the body cells (autosomes) divide to form new cells. Here a cell divides into two daughter cells with the same number of chromosomes as that of the parent cell (Equational division). An organism increases in its size not because the cell size increases but due to the increase in cell number as a result of mitosis. Therefore the main functions that are attributed to mitosis includes, Tissue growth (by increasing the number of cells), maintenance and repair of damaged cells.

But, while comparing mitosis in a 10 year old boy and a 50 year old man, the difference is that, as the ten year old boy is in the age where rapid growth occurs to him, the rate mitosis will be also greater. Mitosis occurs to him in a rapid rate provinding growth of all his tissues which helps him increase his size. So, for him mitosis occurs in every tissues except for the neurons and brain cells which divides often.

When dealing with a 50 year old man, he has completed almost all stages of growth and has attained the maximum size. So, here mitosis doesnot play a role in increasing his body size and at the same time the rate of mitosis will be far reduced when compared with the 10 year old boy. Here the mitosis serves the function of repair and maintenance of damaged cells.

For him, mitosis occurs only in most frequenly replaced tissues in ones body like hair, finger nails, skin and gastric lining.