Cells spend the most time in the interphase stage of the cell cycle. Interphase is the period of the cell cycle during which the cell is not actively dividing but instead is preparing for cell division.
During interphase, which can be further divided into three phases—G1, S, and G2—cells grow, duplicate their DNA, and prepare the necessary components for mitosis. In the G1 phase, the cell grows and synthesizes proteins while in the S phase, DNA replication occurs. The G2 phase involves further growth and the final preparations for mitosis.
In fact, interphase can last from hours to several days, depending on the type of cell and the conditions it’s in, which is significantly longer than the actual division phase (mitosis) that only takes a relatively short amount of time. Therefore, understanding interphase is crucial to comprehending how cells prepare for division and how they maintain their functions.