|
Accidential tetrapoidy. Cells with too many genomes
may occur more often than anyone thought, according to observations made in
the laboratory of Randy King. Dividing cells proceed through the usual stages of mitosis until
they are virtually independent except for a thin cytoplasmic bridge. In cells
that properly divide their chromosomes, the bridge is broken to form two
daughter cells (left movie). But if an error is made in segregating the chromosomes,
the bridge widens hours later, and the cells reunite, creating a cell with
a double genome contained within two mismatched nuclei.
|