GLOSSARY

Interphase is the longest part of the cell cycle, lying between two cell divisions; during this stage the cell grows, carries out its normal functions, and prepares for the next division.
Contrary to a common belief, interphase is not a “resting stage”; the cell is highly active during it.

Phases of Interphase

Interphase has three phases: G1, in which the cell grows and makes new proteins and organelles; S (synthesis), in which DNA is replicated and each chromosome becomes two sister chromatids; and G2, in which the cell completes its final preparations for division.
Cells that do not divide, or that have temporarily stopped dividing, are in a phase called