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Updated: Feb 8, 2026
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The Microscopy-Based Assay to Study and Analyze the Recycling Endosomes using SNARE Trafficking
Published on: February 12, 2022
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Endosomal recycling controls plasma membrane area during mitosis
Emmanuel Boucrot1, Tomas Kirchhausen
1Department of Cell Biology and CBR Institute for Biomedical Research, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Summary
Cell membrane area decreases during mitosis and rapidly recovers by the end. This recovery relies on endosomal recycling, not new synthesis, controlling cell shape and division.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cellular morphology dramatically changes during mitosis, with cells rounding up and then flattening.
- Understanding how plasma membrane area is regulated during these dynamic shape changes is crucial for cell division.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamic changes in plasma membrane area during mitosis.
- To elucidate the mechanisms controlling total cell membrane area during cell division.
Main Methods:
- Utilized single-cell imaging techniques to monitor membrane dynamics.
- Assessed the roles of endocytosis and membrane recycling during cell division phases.
- Investigated the impact of impaired recycling and Golgi function on cell division.
Main Results:
- Plasma membrane area decreases at mitosis onset and recovers by cytokinesis.
- Clathrin-mediated endocytosis remains active, but membrane recycling slows during cell rounding.
- Cell membrane area recovery occurs independently of Golgi-dependent synthesis.
Conclusions:
- Endosomal recycling is a key mechanism for regulating cell membrane area during mitosis.
- Modulation of endosomal recycling controls cell area and surface protein levels during cell division.
- This process is essential for successful cell division, even without new membrane synthesis.
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