In early prometaphase, the nuclear membrane has just degraded, allowing the microtubules to quickly interact with the kinetochores on the chromosomes, which have just condensed.

Microtubules invade the nuclear space.

In late prometaphase, most of the chromosomes have begun the events of metaphase while the rest should have at least have one kinetochore connected.

Prometaphase is the phase of mitosis following prophase and preceding metaphase, in eukaryotic somatic cells. Microtubules which have radiated from the two centrosomes located at the opposite poles of the cells invading the nuclear space within it as the nuclear envelope disassembles, this process named open mitosis. This allows the chromosomes within them to be distributed to the different locations of the cell by the microtubules without restriction. Some protists, such as algae, undergo a variation called closed mitosis where the microtubules are able to penetrate an intact nuclear envelope. Image File history File links An image of a newt lung cell stained with flourescent dyes undergoing mitosis, specifically during early prometaphase. ... Image File history File links An image of a newt lung cell stained with flourescent dyes undergoing mitosis, specifically during early prometaphase. ... Microtubules are protein structures found within cells, one of the components of the cytoskeleton. ... Image File history File links This is step III cut out from Image:Gray2. ... Image File history File links Prometaphase-flourescent2. ... Image File history File links Prometaphase-flourescent2. ... An image of a newt lung cell stained with flourescent dyes during metaphase. ... Prophase, with the mitotic spindles stained green and the cell nucleus and chromatin stained blue. ... An image of a newt lung cell stained with flourescent dyes during metaphase. ... Kingdoms Animalia - Animals Fungi Plantae - Plants Protista A eukaryote (IPA: ) is an organism with a complex cell or cells, in which the genetic material is organized into a membrane-bound nucleus or nuclei. ... The term somatic refers to the body, as distinct from some other entity, such as the mind. ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell. Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green). ... Microtubules are protein structures found within cells, one of the components of the cytoskeleton. ... The centrosome is the main microtubule organizing center (MTOC) of the cell as well as a regulator of cell-cycle progression. ... The eukaryotic cell nucleus. ... The nuclear envelope (also known as the perinuclear envelope, nuclear membrane, nucleolemma or karyotheca) is the double membrane of the nucleus that encloses genetic material in eukaryotic cells. ... Figure 1: A representation of a condensed eukaryotic chromosome, as seen during cell division. ... Typical phyla Chromista Heterokontophyta Haptophyta Cryptophyta (cryptomonads) Alveolata Dinoflagellata Apicomplexa Ciliophora (ciliates) Excavata Euglenozoa Percolozoa Metamonada Rhizaria Radiolaria Foraminifera Cercozoa Archaeplastida (in part) Rhodophyta (red algae) Glaucophyta (basal archaeplastids) Amoebozoa Choanozoa Many others; classification varies Protists (IPA: ) are a diverse group of organisms, comprising those eukaryotes that are not animals... A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ...

Following nuclear envelope diassembly, kinetochores form at the centromeres of the chromosomes, with one for each chromatid. A kinetochore is a complex protein structure where microtubules interact with the chromosome. Although kinetochore structure and function are not fully understood, it is known that it contains a molecular motor. When a microtubule connects with the kinetochore, the motor activates, using energy from adenosine triphosphate to "crawl" up the tube toward the originating centrosome. The kinetochore provides the pulling force necessary to later separate the chromosome's two chromatids. The kinetochore is the protein structure in eukaryotes which assembles on the centromere and links the chromosome to microtubule polymers from the mitotic spindle during mitosis. ... The centromere is a region of chromosomes with a special sequence and structure. ... Figure 1: A representation of a condensed eukaryotic chromosome, as seen during cell division. ... A chromatid forms one part of a chromosome after it has coalesced for the process of mitosis or meiosis. ... This is a list of gene families or gene complexes, that is sets of genes which occur across a number of different species which often serve similar biological functions. ... Adenosine 5-triphosphate (ATP) is a multifunctional nucleotide that is most important as a molecular currency of intracellular energy transfer. ...

The microtubules are composed of two types, kinetochore microtubules and non-kinetochore microtubules. Kinetochore microtubules begin searching for kinetochores to attach to. A number of non-kinetochore microtubules find and interact with corresponding nonkinetochore microtubules from the opposite centrosome to form the mitotic spindle. Micrograph showing condensed chromosomes in blue and the mitotic spindle in green during prometaphase of mitosis The mitotic spindle (a. ...

The role of prometaphase is completed when all of the kinetochore microtubules have attached to their kinetochores, upon which metaphase begins. An unattached kinetochore, and thus a non-aligned chromosome, even when most of the other chromosomes have lined up, will trigger the spindle checkpoint signal. This prevents premature progression into anaphase by inhibiting the anaphase-promoting complex until all kinetochores is attached and all the chromosomes aligned. An image of a newt lung cell stained with flourescent dyes during metaphase. ... The spindle checkpoint blocks entry into anaphase until all chromosomes are properly attached to the mitotic spindle. ... A lung cell of a newt during early anaphase of mitosis. ... Anaphase-promoting complex (APC) is a complex of several proteins which is activated during mitosis to initiate anaphase. ...

Early events of metaphase can coincide with the later events of prometaphase, as chromosomes with connected kinetochores will start the events of metaphase individually before other chromosomes with unconnected kinetochores that are still lingering in the events of prometaphase.