Mitosis is characterized by one division and no reduction division. Synaptonemal complexes hold homologous chromosome arms together which facilitates crossing over. They are formed during Prophase I. 4. Four chromatids are present. They are still held together at their common centromeres and at the synaptonemal complex.
Microtubules form the spindle but attach to only one face of each centromere at the kinetochore.
The kinetochore of each homologue attaches to the pole toward its outer side, and the sides of the centromeres facing one another are not attached to a spindle fiber from either pole. In mitosis each centromere region attaches to spindle fibers from both poles. In meiosis, then, an entire chromosome is pulled to a pole in anaphase, whereas in mitosis only a single chromatid is pulled to a pole. The chromosomes move to the poles in a random fashion, and some paternal and some maternal chromosomes move to each pole without regard to the movement of all other chromosomes. Both cells are diploid, although changes to the chromatids of the individual chromosomes will have occurred through crossing over.