Cell Cycle and Cell Division

Biology · Class 11

Lesson 11 of 13 · 9 min

Meiosis II

NCERT §10.4.2

Ishaan says meiosis II must be a second meiosis I. Diya says it is closer to a mitosis, and gets him to count to prove it.

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In short

Meiosis II begins straight after cytokinesis, generally while the chromosomes are still not fully stretched out. Unlike meiosis I, it resembles an ordinary mitosis.

Prophase II: the chromosomes become compact again, and the nuclear membrane has disappeared by the end of this stage.

Metaphase II: the chromosomes line up at the equator, and microtubules from opposite poles attach to the kinetochores of the sister chromatids.

Anaphase II: the centromere of each chromosome, which had been holding the sister chromatids together, splits simultaneously in all chromosomes, and the chromatids move to opposite poles as the microtubules attached to the kinetochores shorten.

Telophase II: the two groups of chromosomes are enclosed by nuclear envelopes again, and cytokinesis follows, giving a tetrad of cells, four haploid daughter cells.

Counting through it: a 2n cell with 4C DNA gives two cells of n chromosomes (2C each, chromatids still paired) after meiosis I, and four cells of n chromosomes (C each) after meiosis II.

Meiosis II | Cell Cycle and Cell Division | Lumi Learn