: Once released, the individual chromatids (now independent chromosomes) move toward the spindle poles. This movement is driven by kinetochores —protein complexes on the chromosomes—which "walk" along microtubules as the fibers shorten.
The process of anaphase is typically divided into two mechanistically distinct parts:
: Simultaneous with chromosome movement, the cell poles themselves move further apart as the mitotic spindle elongates, effectively stretching the cell in preparation for division. Comparison: Mitosis vs. Meiosis
: The onset begins when separase , a specialized enzyme, cleaves the cohesin proteins that hold sister chromatids together at the centromere.
While anaphase serves the same general purpose of separation, its mechanics vary depending on the type of cell division: Anaphase (Mitosis) Anaphase I (Meiosis) Sister chromatids Homologous chromosomes Centromere Behavior Centromeres split Centromeres remain intact Result Identical genetic sets Reduction in chromosome number Regulatory Mechanisms