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The easily visible processes of nuclear division (mitosis) and cell division (cytokinesis), collectively called M phase, typically occupy only a small fraction of the cell cycle. The other, much longer, part of the cycle is known as interphase. The five stages of mitosis are shown: an abrupt change in the biochemical state of the cell occurs at the transition from metaphase to anaphase. A cell can pause in metaphase before this transition point, but once the point has been passed, the cell carries on to the end of mitosis and through cytokinesis into interphase. Note that DNA replication occurs in interphase. The part of interphase where DNA is replicated is called S phase (not shown).