Mitosis results in the formation of two daughter cells. Mitosis can occur wherever more cells are needed. It produces two new cells that are identical to each other, and to the parent cell. The process of growth and division is called the cell cycle.
Mitosis occurs in response to the body's need for growth and repair. Generally, it occurs in all tissues except mature nerve tissue and in the formation of gametes. Mitosis and cytokinesis together is defined as the mitotic (M) phase of the cell cycle, the division of the mother cell into two daughter cells, each the genetic equivalent of the parent cell. Mitosis occurs exclusively in eukaryotic cells.
