In prokaryotes, DNA synthesis can take place uninterrupted between cell divisions, and new cycles of DNA synthesis can begin before previous cycles have finished. In contrast, eukaryotes duplicate their DNA exactly once during a discrete period between cell divisions. This period is called the S (for synthetic) phase. It is preceded by a period called G1 (meaning “first gap”) and followed by a period called G2, during which nuclear DNA synthesis does not occur.
The four periods G1, S, G2, and M (for mitosis) make up the cell division cycle. The cell cycle characteristically lasts between 10 and 20 hours in rapidly proliferating adult cells, but it can be arrested for weeks or months in quiescent cells or for a lifetime in neurons of the brain. Prolonged arrest of this type usually occurs during the G1 phase and is sometimes referred to as G0. In contrast, some embryonic cells, such as those of fruit flies (vinegar flies), can complete entire cycles and divide in only 11 minutes. In these exceptional cases, G1 and G2 are undetectable, and mitosis alternates with DNA synthesis. In addition, the duration of the S phase varies dramatically. The fruit fly embryo takes only four minutes to replicate its DNA, compared with several hours in adult cells of the same species.