Cell cycle and apoptosis · USMLE Step 1

What happens if a cell bypasses the spindle checkpoint despite improper spindle attachment during mitosis?

  1. The cell immediately undergoes apoptosis and dies
  2. Daughter cells receive unequal chromosome numbers, causing aneuploidy
  3. It arrests permanently at the G2 phase boundary
  4. It differentiates into a nondividing specialized cell
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Correct answer: Daughter cells receive unequal chromosome numbers, causing aneuploidy

Bypassing the spindle checkpoint can lead to mis-segregation of chromosomes during anaphase, producing daughter cells with abnormal chromosome numbers (aneuploidy), which can contribute to genomic instability.

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