Question:

Colchicine treated cells are arrested in

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Colchicine is the primary chemical used to double the chromosome number of haploid plants (to produce doubled haploids) or to create autopolyploids in plant breeding.
  • S phase
  • Prophase
  • G1 phase
  • Metaphase
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation



Step 1: Understanding the Concept:

Colchicine is an alkaloid chemical agent widely used in plant breeding and genetics to induce polyploidy by disrupting the normal mechanics of spindle fiber assembly during cell division.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

- During normal cell division (mitosis), spindle fibers (made of microtubule polymers) bind to the centromeres of chromosomes to pull sister chromatids to opposite poles.
- Mechanism of Colchicine: Colchicine binds to tubulin dimers, preventing them from polymerizing into microtubules.
- Without functional spindle fibers, the chromosomes cannot align properly or separate.
- This blocks the cell cycle and arrests the dividing cells in metaphase (specifically, mitotic metaphase).
- Because the chromosomes duplicate but the cell does not divide, washing out the colchicine leaves the cell with a doubled chromosome number (polyploidy).

Step 3: Final Answer:

Colchicine-treated cells are arrested in Metaphase.
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