Cell division allows for growth and development of an organism. In plant and animal cells, it is a multi-step process known as mitosis. Once the cell has completed mitosis, it then goes through the process of cytokinesis, when the parent cell separates into the two daughter cells.
The types of cells that divide by mitosis and cytokinesis are the somatic cells of eukaryotic organisms. Eukaryotes are organisms whose cells contain complex structures within membranes and which have a cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton is intercellular protein filaments that help give a cell structure and aid in its movement, including microtubules and microfilaments. Somatic cells make up tissues and structures in the body and contain full copies of the organism's DNA. The only cells that do not undergo mitosis are the cells used in sexual reproduction, or the egg and sperm cells.
