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GENERAL BIOLOGY 1
Quarter 1 – Module 4:
CELL CYCLE

Polytechnic College of Botolan · Botolan, Zambales

Senior High School Department
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE OF BOTOLAN
(Formerly Botolan Community College)
Botolan, Zambales
E-mail: polytechniccollegeofbotolan@gmail.com
Website: pcbzambales.com
Contact number: 0949-155-3113

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Do not write anything on the module.
2. Read the directions carefully.
3. Provide your own answer sheets.

I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Explain the significance (or applications) of mitosis and meiosis;

2. Identify disorders and diseases that result from the malfunction of the cell during the cell cycle; and
3. Realize how the result of malfunctions of the cell affects once life.

II. PRE-TEST
Give a brief description of what happens to the cell on each phase of the cell division.

III. LESSON PROPER

Mitosis and meiosis both involve cells dividing to make new cells. This makes them both vital processes for the existence
of living things that reproduce sexually.
Meiosis makes the cells needed for sexual reproduction to occur, and mitosis replicates non-sex cells needed for growth
and development. Together they provide the cellular basis for healthy growth and sexual reproduction.

APPLICATIONS OF MITOSIS AND MEIOSIS

1. Meiosis Produces Gametes.
Meiosis is what produces the gametes, sperm or eggs that fuse after two organisms have sex. Gametes only have half
the normal number of chromosomes, or strands of DNA, that a normal cell does. So, two of them must fuse in order to form
a new cell that will develop into new organism. In sexually reproducing organisms, gametes are only produced by meiosis,
not mitosis. One advantage of meiosis is that the gametes of some organisms can be released into the environment, such as
into the water or into the air. External fertilization is the process in which a sperm or pollen fertilizes an egg while both are
outside of the mother.
2. Mitosis Builds Reproductive Organs
In multicellular organisms that have reproductive organs that do meiosis to produce gametes, the organs were built by
cells that underwent mitosis. Thus, in these organism meiosis is only possible because mitosis made organs that nurture the
cells to undergo meiosis. In human females, this organ is called the ovary; in males, it is called the testicles. Organs are made
of different layers or chambers of cells. Each layer or chamber has a different function. Within this hierarchy of tissues within
an organ, meiosis is controlled and protected.
3. The Reproductive Endocrine System
The human reproductive system is controlled by the brain. The sperm are produced in in the testicles, and the eggs are
produced in the ovaries, but both of these organs receive commands from the brain. They also talk back to the brain in a
process called feedback. The brain and the reproductive organs talk each other by releasing endocrine hormones into the
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 blood. Just as with the reproductive organs, the brain was formed by cells that underwent mitosis. In fact, the cells that
produce the hormones in each organ were result of mitosis, not meiosis.
4. Spermatogonia and Oogonia
Another importance of mitosis in sustaining meiosis is that the cells that undergo meiosis to produce gametes can also
undergo mitosis. These cells undergo mitosis before meiosis so that they can make more copies of themselves. The more
copies there are of them, the more gametes can be produced later on. In men, these cell are called spermatogonia. In women,
they are called oogonia. Mitosis of spermatogonia is how a man can produce sperm even in old age. It is also how a woman
can produce 400,000 eggs by the time she is born.

DISORDERS and DISEASES that RESULT from the MALFUNCTION of the CELL during the CELL CYCLE
Chromosome abnormalities typically occur as a result of errors in one, or more, of the following: meiosis, mitosis, maternal
age, or environment.
1. MEIOSIS
Chromosome abnormalities usually happen as a result of an error in cell division. Meiosis is the name used to describe
the cell division that the egg and sperm undergo when they are developing. Normally, meiosis causes a halving of
chromosome material, so that each parent gives 23 chromosomes to a pregnancy.
The result is an egg or sperm with only 23 chromosomes. When fertilization occurs, the normal 46 total number of
chromosomes result in the fetus. If meiosis does not occur properly, an egg or sperm could end up with too many
chromosomes, or not enough chromosomes. Upon fertilization, the baby could then receive an extra chromosome (called a
trisomy), or have a missing chromosome (called a monosomy).
A chromosome disorder is caused by an alteration in the number or genetic structure of chromosomes. Trisomy (“three
bodies”) means the affected person has 47 chromosomes instead of 46. Down syndrome, Edward syndrome and Patau
syndrome are the most common forms of trisomy. Children affected by trisomy usually have a range of birth defects,
including delayed development and intellectual disabilities.

Down Syndrome Patau Syndrome Edward Syndrome

https://www.camphill.org.za/articles/what-exactly-is-down-syndromehttps://www.pinterest.jp/pin/341640321718644323/
https://www.drthindhomeopathy.com/disease/trisomy-18-edward-syndrome/
2. MITOSIS
Mitosis is the name used to describe the cell division that all other cells, besides the egg and sperm, undergo when they
are developing. Normally, mitosis causes a duplication, followed by a halving of chromosome material, so that each cell
doubles the number of chromosomes to 92, and then splits in half, so that the total of 46 is resumed. Mitosis begins in the
fetus after fertilization.
This process repeats itself, until the entire baby is formed. Mitosis continues throughout our lifetime, to regenerate new
skin cells, new blood cells, and other types of cells that are damaged or that simply died off.
During pregnancy, an error in mitosis can occur, just like the error previously described in meiosis. If the chromosomes
do not split into equal halves, the new cells can have an extra chromosome (47 total) or have a missing chromosome (45
total). This is another way a baby can be born with a chromosome abnormality. Errors in mitosis are responsible for some
cases of mosaicism.
Mosaicism is a condition in which cells within the same person have a different genetic makeup. This condition can
affect any type of cell, including: blood cells, egg and sperm cells.
While pregnancies with a trisomy or a monosomy may go full-term and result in the birth of a child with health problems,
it is also possible that the pregnancy may miscarry, or that the baby is stillborn (not born alive), because of the chromosome

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 abnormality. In studies of first trimester miscarriages, about 60% (or more) are chromosomally abnormal. In studies of babies
who are stillborn, 5 to 10% have a chromosome abnormality.

https://www.cidjournal.com/article/S0738-081X(10)00164-1/pdf https://co.pinterest.com/pin/97179304440455862/

3. MATERNAL AGE
When a mother is 35 years of age at delivery (or older), she may be referred for genetic counselling or for prenatal
diagnosis, such as an amniocentesis because of her age. There is a fundamental difference in the way that eggs and sperm
are made. Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, and they begin to mature during puberty. Over time, there
are fewer and fewer eggs available in the ovaries. If a woman is 35 years old, the eggs in the ovaries are also 35 years old.
The risk for a baby to be born with a chromosome abnormality increases with the age of the mother. Some scientists and
doctors believe that this is because the eggs are aging, and may have the incorrect number of chromosomes at the same
time of fertilization. Errors in meiosis may be more prone to happen as a result of the aging process.
Men, on the other hand, produce new sperm continually. Therefore, if a man is 35 years of age, his sperm is not 35 years
of age. However, recent studies have shown that men over the age 45 years may have an increased risk for new (de novo)
autosomal dominant conditions in their children. Offspring may manifest polyploidy/disjunction.
4. ENVIRONMENT
Many parents who have a child with chromosome abnormality wonder whether the various environmental exposures they
have had over the years contributed to having a baby with a chromosome abnormality. To date, there is not anything specific
in the environment, such as X-rays, medications, foods, and microwave ovens that have been found to be the reason for a
baby to be born with a chromosome abnormality. In fact, most parents who have a child with a chromosome abnormality,
when compared to those parents who do not have a child with a chromosome abnormality, have no difference in habits,
lifestyles, or environmental exposures.
There is some evidence accumulating that how a woman’s body processes the B vitamin folic acid, may have something
to do with why chromosome abnormalities happen. Those women who do not process this vitamin completely, may have a
predisposition to having a child with a chromosome abnormality. This has not been proven, but knowing that is a possibility
gives women of reproductive age a good reason to take a multivitamin with folic acid (before becoming pregnant) and prenatal
vitamins during a pregnancy to reduce this potential risk.

ACTIVITY 1
Explain the significance or applications of mitosis/meiosis.
ACTIVITY 2
When a cell reproduces by mitosis and cytoplasmic division, does its life end? Explain.
ACTIVITY 3
Identify disorders and diseases that result from the malfunction of the cell during the cell cycle. Explain.
IV. GENERALIZATION
 How does the result of malfunctions of the cell affects once life?

V. REFERENCES
Faltado, R.E., Lopez, M.B., & Paz de Leon, R.B. (2017). General Biology 1
for Senior High School (Specialized Subject)

Google Images

Prepared by: Reviewed by:

ROSE ANN CRUZADO MYRNA S. PANGAN
SHS Teacher SHS Program Coordinator

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