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Interphase

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  1. Interphase
Interphase
G1, S and G2 phases of the cell cycle

Interphase is the active portion of the cell cycle that includes the G1, S, and G2 phases, where the cell grows, replicates its DNA, and prepares for mitosis, respectively. Interphase was formerly called the "resting phase," but the cell in interphase is not simply dormant. Calling it so would be misleading since a cell in interphase is very busy synthesizing proteins, transcribing DNA into RNA, engulfing extracellular material, and processing signals, to name just a few activities. The cell is quiescent only in G0. Interphase is the phase of the cell cycle in which a typical cell spends 90% of its life. Interphase is the "daily living" or phase of the cell, in which the cell obtains and them, grows, replicates its DNA in preparation for , and conducts other "normal" cell functions.

metabolic
nutrients
metabolizes
mitosis
1

Not to be confused with Interface (chemistry).

This article is about the phase in the cell cycle. For the video game, see Interphase (video game).

An image of the nucleus of a cell (HT1080) currently in interphase (likely G1). The neighboring cell (top-left) is currently in the telophase of mitosis. Note: Cytoplasm of this cell or the neighboring cell is not visible. Image taken using an optical microscope and DAPI staining of DNA.

A common misconception is that interphase is the first stage of mitosis, but since mitosis is the division of the nucleus, prophase is actually the first stage.2

In interphase, the cell gets itself ready for mitosis or meiosis. Somatic cells, or normal diploid cells of the body, go through mitosis in order to reproduce themselves through cell division, whereas diploid germ cells (i.e., primary spermatocytes and primary oocytes) go through meiosis in order to create haploid gametes (i.e., sperm and ova) for the purpose of sexual reproduction.

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Where Interphase leads. Every connection below has a source: a link in this article, a shared Wikipedia category, or CirrusSearch text similarity. Articles already on your trail are left out.

Contents
  • (Top)
  • Stages of interphase
  • Interphase within sequences of cellular processes
  • See also
  • References
  • Recent changes
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Contents
Contents6 sections
  • (Top)
  • Stages of interphase
  • Interphase within sequences of cellular processes
  • Interphase and the cell cycle
  • Interphase and other cellular processes
  • See also
  • References
  • Recent changes
  • Rabbit hole
Study aids for Interphase

Terminology

resting phase
Interphase was formerly called the "resting phase," but the cell in interphase is not simply dormant.

Terms the article defines in bold, quoted in context.

Categories:
  • Mitosis
  • Cell biology

734 words · 6 references · revision 1379756135 · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Key concepts

  • Mitosis6
  • G0 phase5
  • G1 phase4
  • Cell cycle3
  • S phase3
  • G2 phase3
  • Meiosis3
  • Telophase2
  • Cytoplasm2
  • DNA replication2

The articles this one links to most, weighted towards the introduction.

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Stages of interphase

There are three stages of cellular interphase, with each phase ending when a cellular checkpoint checks the accuracy of the stage's completion before proceeding to the next. The stages of interphase are:

  • G1 (Gap 1), in this phase the cell grows and functions normally. During this time, a high amount of protein synthesis occurs and the cell grows (to about double its original size) – more organelles are produced and the volume of the cytoplasm increases. If the cell is not to divide again, it will enter G0.3
  • Synthesis (S), in this phase the cell synthesizes its DNA and the amount of DNA is doubled but the number of chromosomes remains constant (via semiconservative replication).
  • G2 (Gap 2), in this phase the cell resumes its growth in preparation for division. The cell continues to grow until mitosis begins. In plants, chloroplasts divide during G2.
  • In addition, some cells that do not divide often or ever, enter a stage called G0 (Gap zero), which is either a stage separate from interphase or an extended G1.

The duration of time spent in interphase and in each stage of interphase is variable and depends on both the type of cell and the species of organism it belongs to. Most cells of adult mammals spend about 24 hours in interphase; this accounts for about 90%-96% of the total time involved in cell division.4 Interphase includes G1, S, and G2 phases. Mitosis and cytokinesis, however, are separate from interphase.

DNA double-strand breaks can be repaired during interphase by two principal processes.5 The first process, non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), can join the two broken ends of DNA in the G1, S and G2 phases of interphase. The second process, homologous recombinational repair (HRR), is more accurate than NHEJ in repairing double-strand breaks. However HRR is only active during the S and G2 phases of interphase when DNA replication is either partially or fully accomplished, since HRR requires two adjacent homologous chromosomes.

Interphase within sequences of cellular processes

Interphase and the cell cycle

When G2 is completed, the cell enters a relatively brief period of nuclear and cellular division, composed of mitosis and cytokinesis, respectively. After the successful completion of mitosis and cytokinesis, both resulting daughter cells re-enter G1 of interphase.

In the cell cycle, interphase is preceded by telophase and cytokinesis of the M phase. In alternative fashion, interphase is sometimes interrupted by G0 phase, which, in some circumstances, may then end and be followed by the remaining stages of interphase. After the successful completion of the G2 checkpoint, the final checkpoint in interphase, the cell proceeds to prophase, or in plants to preprophase, which is the first stage of mitosis.

G0 phase is viewed as either an extended G1 phase where the cell is neither dividing nor preparing to divide, or as a distinct quiescent stage which occurs outside of the cell cycle.6

Interphase and other cellular processes

In gamete production, interphase is succeeded by . In , interphase is followed or preempted by .

See also

  • Prophase
  • Prometaphase
  • Metaphase
  • Anaphase
  • Telophase
  • Cytokinesis
  • Cytoskeleton

References

  1. 1Marieb E (2000). Essentials of human anatomy and physiology. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings. ISBN 978-0805349405.
  2. 2"The Cell Cycle & Mitosis Tutorial". The Biology Project – Cell Biology. University of Arizona.
  3. 3Cummings MR (2014). Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. pp. 28–29.
  4. 4Mader SS (2007). Biology (9th ed.). Boston, MA, USA: McGraw Hill Higher Education. ISBN 978-0-07-325839-3.
  5. 5Shibata A. Regulation of repair pathway choice at two-ended DNA double-strand breaks. Mutat Res. 2017 Oct;803-805:51-55. doi: 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2017.07.011. Epub 2017 Jul 29. Review. PMID 28781144
  6. 6Cram E. "Re: Are the cells in the G0 (g zero) phase of mitosis really suspended?". MadScience Network. Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Berkeley. 1999.
meiosis
programmed cell death
apoptosis
Created
6 May 2003
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1,210 edits
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Last edited
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1,210 revisions in total · 749 contributors · +14 / 0 bytes across 1 edits by 1 contributor in the last 30 days

  1. 11 Oct 2026, 19:45 UTCUnnaturalSatellitemImprove readability of image caption+14diff
  2. 13 Apr 2026, 17:29 UTCBumpfmremove unrelated kind of "interphase". maybe for a disambig page but not here imo.−156diff
  3. 2 Sept 2025, 00:33 UTCGlycongNo edit summary0diff
  4. 16 Aug 2025, 09:52 UTCSchlurcherBotmBot: http → https+1diff
  5. 8 Jul 2025, 18:03 UTCAnonymous contributorNo edit summary+15diff
  6. 8 Jul 2025, 17:54 UTCAnonymous contributorNo edit summary−1diff
  7. 1 Nov 2024, 11:34 UTCAnonymous contributoradded definition of Interphases in materials+155diff
  8. 27 Aug 2024, 04:23 UTCAnonymous contributori think it flows better without using a $10 word then immediately defining that word−48diff

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Created
6 May 2003
History
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1 edit in the last 30 days
Last edited
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