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Mitosis and Cytokinesis
During the mitosis process, a plant cell duplicates its genetic information so one complete copy of its DNA will go into each of the daughter cells. Cytokinesis occurs in conjunction with mitosis and functions to separate the cytoplasm and the cell organelles into equal parts after the nuclear replication and division of mitosis are completed. The cytokinesis process usually begins during the last stages of mitosis as it divides the cytoplasm and its organelles into roughly equal portions and produces a cell plate to partition the two new cells.
The Phragmoplast
The phragmoplast organelle appears during the last stage of mitosis (anaphase). It consists of two opposing sets of microfilaments oriented so their ends mark the plane of cellular division. Microfilaments are straight, hollow cylinders found in the cytoplasm. During cytokinesis they function in transporting the Golgi vesicles to the centrally located division plane, where they begin forming the cell plate.
The Cell Plate
As the disc-shaped cell plate expands, the phragmoplast microtubules move to the margins of the cell plate, bringing additional Golgi vesicles to these sites. Here they build on the new cell plate so it expands. Once the cell plate is solidified and connected to the pre-existing cell wall, cytokinesis has concluded its function. The new plant cells are completely partitioned into two new daughter cells with identical genetic material.
Cytokinesis
Mitosis and cytokinesis must be coordinated both spatially and in sequence in order to prevent losing part of the nucleus or its genetic material; the unequal distribution of cytoplasm; or failure of the cell plate formation. All the organelles involved in the two processes such as the nucleus, the cell wall, the Golgi vesicles and the microtubules, must function together correctly in order to build the cell plate and attach it to the cell wall in a timely manner during process of cell division.