What is the primary purpose of the mitotic phase in the cell cycle?

The primary purpose of the mitotic phase in the cell cycle is indeed the division of the cell nucleus and cytoplasm. During this phase, a parent cell undergoes a series of steps to ensure that its genetic material is accurately distributed to two daughter cells.

The process begins with prophase, where the chromatin condenses into visible chromosomes, and the nuclear membrane begins to break down. This is followed by metaphase, where chromosomes line up along the equatorial plane of the cell, ensuring proper separation. In anaphase, sister chromatids are pulled apart towards opposite poles of the cell. Finally, in telophase, the chromosomes decondense, and the nuclear membrane reforms around each set of chromosomes, completing the division of the nucleus. Cytokinesis then occurs, dividing the cytoplasm, resulting in two separate but identical daughter cells.

This process is critical for growth, repair, and reproduction in multicellular organisms, ensuring that each new cell receives the correct number of chromosomes. Other options provided, such as DNA replication, cellular metabolism regulation, and protein synthesis, are essential cellular processes that occur during interphase, but they do not occur during the mitotic phase itself. The specificity of mitosis to division highlights its unique and