division II of meiosis

division II of meiosis [də‚vizh·ən ¦tü əv mī′ō·səs]

(cell and molecular biology)

The second division stage of meiosis, in which the daughter cells resulting from division I divide themselves to produce a total of four gametes, each with a haploid number of cells; it is divided into four stages: prophase II (nuclear envelope breaks down and new meiotic spindle forms), metaphase II (chromosomes recondense and align themselves on a new pair of spindles), anaphase II (separation of sister centromeres and movement of the two sister chromatids to opposite poles), and telophase II (the nuclei begin to reform and the second cell division occurs).