the growth cycle of eukaryotic cells. It is divided into five stages, known as G0, in which the cell is quiescent, G1 and G2, in which it increases in size, S, in which it duplicates its DNA, and M, in which it undergoes mitosis and divides
cell cycle in American English
noun
the cycle of growth and asexual reproduction of a cell, consisting of interphase followed in actively dividing cells by prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase
Word origin
[1970–75]This word is first recorded in the period 1970–75. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Heimlich maneuver, New Age, postmodernism, salsa, stress test
Examples of 'cell cycle' in a sentence
cell cycle
This raises the exciting possibility that this agent may inhibit the cell cycle checkpoint, which ensures that two copies of each chromosome are made.
The Scientist (2002)
Unlike slides, scientists can pause, rewind, or slow-down the movies to get an unprecedented look at cell cycle changes, frame by frame.
The Scientist (2002)
In the mid-1950s he shifted fields to investigate how cells grow during the cell cycle, and first began his interest in fission yeast.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Dowdy's lab is mimicking human tumor mutations in normal mouse tissues to study how the cell cycle is disrupted in cancer.
The Scientist (2000)
For example, advances in cell cycle understanding have created fresh opportunities for cell biologists working on cancer.
The Scientist (2001)
It was while an undergraduate that he became interested in the cell cycle and cellular growth.