How can you distinguish between early and late anaphase?

Question

Mitosis
Cell Division
Anaphase

Answer 1

Anaphase is the stage of meiosis or mitosis when chromosomes separate in a eukaryotic cell. Each chromatid moves to opposite poles of the cell, the opposite ends of the mitotic spindle, near the microtubule organizing centers.

naphase begins abruptly with the highly-regulated triggering of the metaphase-to-anaphase transition. At this point the Anaphase Promoting Complex (APC) becomes activated. This terminates metaphase (M-phase) activity by cleaving and inactivating the M-phase cyclin required for the function of M-phase cyclin dependent kinases (M-Cdks).

It also cleaves securin, a protein that inhibits the protease known as separase. Separase then cleaves cohesin, a protein responsible for holding sister chromatids together. The consequent separation of chromatids marks the cytological onset of anaphase. After separation they are referred to as daughter chromatids.

Within anaphase two distinct processes occur. During early anaphase the chromatids abruptly separate and move towards the spindle poles. This is achieved by shortening of the spindle microtubules, and forces are mainly exerted at the kinetochores. When the chromatids are fully separated late anaphase begins. This involves the astral microtubules elongating and sliding relative to each other to drive the spindle poles further apart.

These two processes were originally distinguished by their different sensitivities to drugs, and mechanically they are distinct processes. Early anaphase involves shortening kinetochore mictrotubules by depolymerisation at both ends. During this, motor proteins at the kinetochores pull on the kinetochore microtubules. Late anaphase involves both the elongation of overlap microtubules and the use of two distinct sets of motor proteins: one of these pulls overlap microtubules past each other, the other pulls on astral microtubules that have attached to the cell cortex.

Answer 2

wow, these are rather in depth answers. so im not sure if im getting this right.

since anaphase is when the chromatids separate, i would assume early anaphase is when the sister chromatids have not separated a great deal, and late is when they are further apart

Answer 3

You can distinguish via cyclin b levels and APC activity. You can do immunoflurescence of APC molecules such as cdc27. There are some morphological differences, primarily the chromosomes.

Answer 4

centrisome moves...with the spindle fibers...parrallel...also chromatids form early stage looks like less defined later though its more defined as i believe it goes through g cycle.