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

Research suggests that about one-third of the variation in Y chromosome loss is inherited, involving around 150 genes related to cell cycle control and cancer risk.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2026

Cancer cells experience reduced respiration, DNA damage increases, and the cell cycle stops.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026

The cytoskeleton naturally reorganizes as cells progress through the cell cycle.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

This allowed them to assess changes in cytoplasmic stiffness across different stages of the cell cycle.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

If the cell cycle were like a particular score played by a molecular orchestra, E2F7 was a new conductor, guiding the same instruments in that orchestra to play a new tune, the multiciliation cycle.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024