In terms of mitosis, plants are usually lumped together with those animal cells that also lack centrioles (for example, germ-line cells), and it is commonly assumed that all such cells must divide ...

plants, removing five genes. The researchers knew that they resemble the animal gene of a molecule that is significant in mitosis: the protein TPX2 takes part in mitotic spindle assembly in animals.

It exhibits both animal and plant features in mitosis,' says Hallmann. The researchers have now been able to clarify this phenomenon in their study. 'Until now, researchers knew very little about ...

The increased performance of hybrids is generally known as hybrid vigour, or heterosis, and has been observed in many different plant (and animal) species ... in which they replace the meiosis by ...