cell cycle

American  

noun

1. the cycle of growth and asexual reproduction of a cell, consisting of interphase followed in actively dividing cells by prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

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cell cycle British  

noun

1. the growth cycle of eukaryotic cells. It is divided into five stages, known as G 0 , in which the cell is quiescent, G 1 and G 2 , in which it increases in size, S, in which it duplicates its DNA, and M, in which it undergoes mitosis and divides

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Etymology

Origin of cell cycle

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

They redesigned the yeast cell cycle so that cell division depended on the behavior of the protein being evolved.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

The scientists connected the protein's output signal to a regulator that controls the cell cycle.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

This finding answers a long-standing question in cell biology -- how do cells integrate signals from two oscillatory processes -- the cell cycle and the circadian rhythm -- which operate a different frequencies?

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2024

They captured them at different stages of maturity, hoping to glimpse the genetic instructions it takes to grow cilia and found a pattern that looked like the cell cycle.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024

"Evolution clearly has adapted the cell cycle to carry out a variety of cellular projects well beyond cell division," said Reiter.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024