Division of the cytoplasm after nuclear division, by a cleavage furrow in animals or a cell plate in plants.
In animal cells an actin-myosin contractile ring pinches the cell and creates a cleavage furrow. In plant cells vesicles from the Golgi assemble a cell plate in the middle that grows outward and forms a new wall.
Cytokinesis can be uncoupled from mitosis: in some tissues cells become multinucleate, as in skeletal muscle fibres.
Division of the cytoplasm after nuclear division, by a cleavage furrow in animals or a cell plate in plants.
Cytokinesis is one of the 52 topics in Cell Biology. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Eukaryotic Cell, Cell Junctions, Tonicity.
Failure of cytokinesis produces binucleate cells and polyploidy, which is common in liver cells.
Work through the Beginner topics in Cell Biology first, such as Cell Theory, Prokaryotic Cell, Eukaryotic Cell, then return to Cytokinesis. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Cytokinesis are Eukaryotic Cell, Cell Junctions, Tonicity, Mitosis. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Cytokinesis. To practise the whole of Cell Biology, use the Cell Biology quiz.
Cytokinesis: Division of the cytoplasm after nuclear division, by a cleavage furrow in animals or a cell plate in plants. Eukaryotic Cell: A complex cell with a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, found in animals, plants, fungi and protists. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Eukaryotic Cell and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Cell Biology quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
A complex cell with a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, found in animals, plants, fungi and protists.
🔬 Cell BiologyTight junctions, desmosomes and gap junctions that seal, anchor or connect neighbouring animal cells.
🔬 Cell BiologyDescribes how an external solution affects cell volume: hypotonic causes swelling, hypertonic causes shrinking.
🔬 Cell BiologyNuclear division that produces two genetically identical daughter nuclei with the same chromosome number as the parent.
🔬 Cell Biology