Module 9: Cell Reproduction

Cell Reproduction is fundamental to a student's understanding of the biological origins of life as opposed to inanimate things like for example a piece of rock. The fact that living things start as small and eventually become big or a few individuals and become many individuals rest on certain intrinsic properties which are exclusively attributable to life or living as opposed to dead or nonliving matter. The life of a cell or the cell cycle, has an integral part which is the process of cell division to ensure its own production of two daughter cells, each of which then starts all over again. Cell division in multicellular eukaryotes provides the ability to develop from a fertilized single cell. Dividing cells continuously make new red blood cells in the bone marrow. Our unique ability and capacity to procreate or start as simple cells, develop and become complex organisms and maintain our structure by renewal and repair through replacing dead and dying cells within the big complex organism, ourselves and also our individuality are programmed biological functions which have a cellular basis. There is a tendency to conclude that cells are basic units of life. Therefore, cells are simple without considering their vast capacities to transform into the very wide varieties of lifeforms in our biosphere: The beginning of life and the continuity of life is based on the reproduction of cells, plant cells will remain plant cells and animal cells will remain animal cells; eukaryotic cells share certain common features but these do not make them the same, as plant cells will divide into plant cells to become the plant organism and animal cells will divide into animal cells to become the animal organism; prokaryotic or bacterial cells and unicellular eukaryotes like Amoeba which are complete units of life as individual cells undergo their division to produce new cells which are actually new organisms and thus, reproduce to continue life by cell division. Our understanding of the molecular system that regulates the eukaryotic cell cycle including division, controls and malfunction enables us to understand how normal (healthy) cells progress, cancer arises and the development of appropriate remedies.

1. Distinguish between chromosomes, genes, and traits (Course Outcome #4)
   
2. Describe the mechanisms of chromosome compaction (Course Outcome #4 & #5)
3. Describe the three stages of interphase (Course Outcome #4)
4. Discuss the behavior of chromosomes during karyokinesis/mitosis (Course Outcome #4)
5. Explain how the cytoplasmic content is divided during cytokinesis (Course Outcome #4)
6. Understand how the cell cycle is controlled by mechanisms that are both internal and external to the cell (Course Outcome #2, #4 & #5)
7. Explain how the three internal “control checkpoints” occur at the end of G1, at the G2/M transition, and during metaphase (Course Outcome #2, #4 & #5)
8. Describe the molecules that control the cell cycle through positive and negative regulation (Course Outcome #2, #4 & #5)
9. Describe how cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell growth (Course Outcome #2, #4 & #5)
10. Understand how proto-oncogenes are normal cell genes that, when mutated, become oncogenes (Course Outcome #2, #4 & #5) 
11. Describe how tumor suppressors function (Course Outcome #2, #4 & #5)
12. Explain how mutant tumor suppressors cause cancer (Course Outcome #2, #4 & #5)

To achieve these objectives: 

1. Read the Module 9 Introduction 
   
2. Read and view the materials in the Module 9 Pressbooks book, embedded below by section for the chapter titled Cell Reproduction. 
   
3. Complete the assignment and discussion forum post and response.
   

Module Pressbooks Resources and Activities