What is Prokaryotic Cell Division - More Science on the Learning Videos Channel

"In this live-action program viewers will learn that prokaryotes are microscopic single celled organisms including bacteria and blue-green algae and the reason they are so ubiquitous is that they multiply very rapidly.

Students will come to understand that Prokaryotic cell division is a process by which a cell divides into two or more. It is called binary fission a form of asexual reproduction. They will discover that binary fission results in two cells that each contains one copy of the original circular DNA.

The program discusses how scientists can apply knowledge of prokaryotic cell division in disease prevention and care."

A prokaryote is a unicellular organism that lacks a membrane-bound nucleus, mitochondria, or any other membrane-bound organelle. The word prokaryote comes from the Greek πρό (pro, 'before') and κάρυον (karyon, 'nut' or 'kernel'). Prokaryotes are divided into two domains, Archaea and Bacteria. Species with nuclei and organelles are placed in the third domain, Eukaryota. Prokaryotes reproduce without fusion of gametes. The first living organisms are thought to have been prokaryotes. The term prokaryote however is now used informally to refer to Bacteria and Archea as in the late 1970s Carl Woese determined that Bacteria and Archea were less related that previously thought.

In the prokaryotes, all the intracellular water-soluble components (proteins, DNA and metabolites) are located together in the cytoplasm enclosed by the cell membrane, rather than in separate cellular compartments. Bacteria, however, do possess protein-based bacterial microcompartments, which are thought to act as primitive organelles enclosed in protein shells. Some prokaryotes, such as cyanobacteria, may form large colonies. Others, such as myxobacteria, have multicellular stages in their life cycles.

Molecular studies have provided insight into the evolution and interrelationships of the three domains of biological species. Eukaryotes are organisms, including humans, whose cells have a well defined membrane-bound nucleus (containing chromosomal DNA) and organelles. The division between prokaryotes and eukaryotes reflects the existence of two very different levels of cellular organization. Distinctive types of prokaryotes include extremophiles and methanogens; these are common in some extreme environments.