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Image 5 - Human Cell in Anaphase

image 5 700 pixels

Human Cell in Anaphase

Cerys Currie

Anaphase is the stage of cell division where chromosomes are shared equally between two new daughter cells. The chromosomes (in blue) are attached to microtubules (in green) which provide the force to physically separate the duplicated chromosomes, so each new cell receives only one copy. Microtubules attach to chromosomes via a structure called the kinetochore (in red).
The reliability of this process is essential for life. When it goes wrong it can lead to genomic instability, developmental syndromes and cancer.

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