Comparison and Contrast of mitosis and meiosis
One of the most essential processes that occur in living cells is cell division. This is the process in which a primary cells producer new cells by dividing into two or more parts. Cell division in living organisms usually occurs in two different ways: meiosis and mitosis.
In the 9th edition of Biology: Life on Earth by Gerald Audesirk, Theresa Audesirk and Bruce E. Byers, meiosis is defined as a kind of cell division where a diploid nucleus essentially divides twice to give rise to four haploid nuclei. Each of the four haploid nuclei contains half of the number of chromosomes that were in the parent cell
The same book defines mitosis as a cell division type where a cell nucleus undergoes a single fission to give rise to two genetically identical daughter cells. There are several similarities and differences between the two processes.
Starting with similarities, they both start in a similar manner where a single diploid cell essentially copies or replicates its DNA chromosomes and this is followed by the division of the nucleus ( Audesirk & Byers, 2010). Both mitosis and meiosis have similar cell cycles. These cycles are interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase.
In terms of differences, there is only one cell division in mitosis while in meiosis, there are two divisions. Mitosis is mainly used in somatic cells or non sex cell divisions, for example the skin or the hair cells. Meiosis on the other hand used in the division of non-somatic cells other the sex cells, for example the eggs and the sperms.
In meiosis, there is an allowance for genetic differences and cell variations between each cell through three ways: crossing over, random fertilization and independent assortment. In mitosis however, each newly formed cell is an exact replica of the other. The products of mitosis are two daughter cells with similar number of chromosomes of the parent cell while the products of mitosis are four haploid cells with each having half the number of the parent’s cell chromosomes (Audesirk & Byers, 2010).
Cancer Treatment
Cancer is a result of our body cells growing fast, mutating and losing the capability to stop growing. Cancer thus appears as tumors and malignant tissues within the body and can even be felt or seen. Normally body cells will be produced all the time, grow to suitable sizes and then stop to grow (Audesirk & Byers, 2010). However the cancer cells will not stop to grow even after attaining their proper sizes. Cancer cells divide very quickly through mitosis. These cells grow at higher mitotic rates than the normal cells in the human body. Therefore cancer treatment mechanisms work by targeting the rapid growing cells in the body. Since most cells in our bodies do not grow fast, chemotherapy and radiotherapy works by killing or “burning” the fast growing cells. Unluckily, it is not all our body cells that grow slowly. Human body has cells which grow very fast. Examples of these cells include the hair follicle cells and the cells lining the digestive tract (Audesirk & Byers, 2010). Radiotherapy and chemotherapy drugs do not have mechanisms to distinguish between the normal cells and the cancerous cells. Therefore, the drugs attack these cells as well, leading to total or partial hair loss depending on the prescribed amount and the duration of treatment. Irritation or inflammation of the digestive tract is also common and this explains why patients undergoing chemotherapy or radio therapy usually have nausea.
In an improved cancer treatment I would look for drugs or a therapy that is specific to the affected cells only. This means that the drug will only be specific to the cells attacked by cancer leaving the normal cells untouched or unaffected. Alternatively, chemotherapy and radiotherapy could be accompanied by drugs that induce fast healing and repair of normal body cells.
References
Audesirk, G., Audesirk, T. & Byers, Bruce E. (2010). Biology: Life on Earth (9th ed.). San Francisco, California: Benjamin Cummings.
