Kettéosztódás

Kettéosztódás, meaning "division into two" in Hungarian, refers to a biological process where a single cell divides into two daughter cells. This fundamental process is essential for growth, reproduction, and repair in all living organisms. In prokaryotic cells, such as bacteria, kettéosztódás primarily occurs through binary fission, a relatively simple mechanism where the cell replicates its genetic material and then splits into two. Eukaryotic cells, which are more complex and contain a nucleus, undergo kettéosztódás through mitosis, a more intricate process involving the duplication and precise segregation of chromosomes. For reproductive purposes, some eukaryotic organisms utilize meiosis, a specialized form of kettéosztódás that produces gametes (sex cells) with half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell. The precise regulation of kettéosztódás is crucial to prevent errors that can lead to genetic mutations or uncontrolled cell proliferation, as seen in cancer. Understanding the molecular mechanisms governing kettéosztódás is a key area of research in biology and medicine.