What happens during Anaphase of mitosis?

During Anaphase of mitosis, sister chromatids separate and are pulled towards opposite poles of the cell. This process is crucial for ensuring that each new daughter cell will receive an identical set of chromosomes. The separation occurs as the protein complexes that hold the sister chromatids together are cleaved, allowing the spindle fibers attached to the kinetochores of the chromosomes to shorten and draw the individual chromatids away from each other.

This stage follows metaphase, where chromosomes are aligned at the cell's equatorial plane, and its successful completion is essential for proper genetic distribution during cell division. By the end of Anaphase, each pole will receive one copy of each chromatid, which is now considered an individual chromosome, thereby guaranteeing that both daughter cells will have the same genetic information during cytokinesis, which happens later.