The big idea: Interphase is not a rest: it is a metabolically active period in which the cell grows by making new proteins, DNA and organelles.
The points to remember
- Interphase is a time of high metabolic activity: respiration, protein synthesis and more.
- Growth needs biosynthesis of cell components, including proteins and DNA.
- Mitochondria cannot be made from scratch: their number rises as they grow and divide.
- In plant cells, chloroplasts also grow and divide.
- The DNA is replicated in S phase, ready for division.
Remember it as: Grow, build, copy: then divide.
Real example: liver cells. A single human liver cell can contain one to two thousand mitochondria, all made by the growth and division of existing ones.
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What is made, and when: Growth goes on through all of interphase; DNA is copied only in S phase.
| Stage | Main activity |
|---|---|
| G1 | Cell grows; proteins made; organelles such as mitochondria increase in number |
| S | DNA replicated; histone proteins made to package it |
| G2 | More growth; proteins needed for division made; checks before mitosis |
Why the cell must grow: Each division halves the cell's contents. Without growth in interphase, cells would get smaller with every division and run short of organelles.
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How it is asked: A 1A item on what happens in interphase, or a short outline of growth in interphase, often inside a longer answer on the cell cycle.
IB-style questionOutline[3 marks]
Outline the cell growth that takes place during interphase.
Model answer plan
See the answer broken into clear points, with guidance on how each point earns marks.