Meaning & use
cytokinesis
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountabletechnicalbiology
The stage of cell division in which the cytoplasm splits, producing two separate daughter cells.
Grammar: Used as a mass noun; it usually takes a singular verb: Cytokinesis occurs after mitosis.
Patterns
- cytokinesis in something
- during cytokinesis
- the process of cytokinesis
In animal cells, cytokinesis begins when a cleavage furrow pinches the cell in two.
The drug blocks cytokinesis, so the cells stop dividing even though the nuclei have already split.
Plant cells complete cytokinesis by building a new cell plate between the daughter nuclei.
Common combinations
- cytokinesis in animal cells
- Cytokinesis in animal cells relies on a ring of actin filaments.
- failure of cytokinesis
- Failure of cytokinesis can produce a single cell with two nuclei.
- cytokinesis follows mitosis
- In most cells, cytokinesis follows mitosis almost immediately.
- cytokinesis is complete
- Once cytokinesis is complete, the two new cells enter the next growth phase.
- regulate cytokinesis
- Several proteins regulate cytokinesis so that each daughter cell gets the right amount of cytoplasm.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cell division
- A broader everyday term that covers both nuclear division and the splitting of the cytoplasm, whereas cytokinesis names only the cytoplasmic part.
- cleavage
- Often used for the early, rapid divisions of a fertilized egg; it can include cytokinesis but is not a general scientific synonym.
Word family
- cytokinetic adjective
- Relating to cytokinesis, as in cytokinetic events.
Commonly confused: cytokinesis or mitosis? cytokinesis or karyokinesis?
cytokinesis vs mitosis
Mitosis is the division of the nucleus and its chromosomes, while cytokinesis is the later splitting of the whole cell into two.
cytokinesis vs karyokinesis
Karyokinesis refers specifically to nuclear division; cytokinesis refers to division of the cytoplasm.
Practice
In biology, which statement best describes cytokinesis?
Choose one answer.
Cytokinesis is specifically the splitting of the cytoplasm, so option C is correct. Option B describes mitosis, which is nuclear division and happens before cytokinesis.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cytokinesis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.