What happens if DNA replication does not occur?

If DNA replication does not occur, the cell cycle will not move forward to the next stage of the cell cycle. This means that the cell division cannot happen, and thus will lead to the death of the cell. In the cell cycle, the cell’s DNA is copied during the S phase. If a cell has not copied its chromosomes properly, the enzyme cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) will not activate the cyclin. Thus, the cell will not move onto the next phase and cell death will occur. If mutations or issues arise with cyclin, cell growth moves on unchecked, and can possibly lead to cancer. If a cell does not replicate DNA at all, each daughter cell would only obtain half of a complete genome after division occurs. If a cell can partially replicate its DNA, the daughter cells would have more than half but less than the total amount of DNA.