Mitosis and cytokinesis constitute the fundamental mechanism of nuclear and cytoplasmic division that ensures the faithful segregation of genetic material and cellular organelles into two genetically identical daughter cells. The process is defined by the sequential progression through distinct phases—prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and cytokinesis—governed by precise spindle assembly and chromosomal alignment principles. This concept represents the canonical structural and temporal framework within eukaryotic cell biology that describes the mechanics of somatic cell replication independent of upstream regulatory signaling pathways.
Mitosis is formally defined as the process by which a single nucleus, following DNA replication in interphase, is partitioned into two nuclei each carrying the complete original genetic information; …