Biology › Section E · Cell communication and the cell cycle › Topic E.7
Prokaryotic cell division
Bacteria don't build spindles, dissolve nuclei, or compact chromosomes into beads — they don't own any of that machinery. Prokaryotes reproduce by binary fission: the circular chromosome copies itself, the copies drift to opposite ends as the cell lengthens, and a ring of protein pinches the middle shut. Two cells, no ceremony, and often faster than a eukaryotic cell can finish its lunch break.
In this topic
- One chromosome, no nucleus
- The sequence: copy, drift, stretch
- The FtsZ ring and the septum
- Worked example: the arithmetic of bacterial speed
- Worked example: why bacteria need no spindle
- FtsZ: tubulin's grandmother
- Division apparatus across the tree of life
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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