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Mammalian cells change volume during mitosis
Emmanuel Boucrot1, Tomas Kirchhausen
1Department of Cell Biology and Immune Disease Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Plos One
|January 24, 2008
Summary
Cell volume decreases during mitosis, reaching a minimum at metaphase before rapidly recovering during cytokinesis. These dynamic cell volume changes are linked to surface area alterations during cell division.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Molecular biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cellular volume regulation is crucial for cell cycle progression.
- Mitosis involves significant morphological changes, including cell rounding.
- Understanding cell volume dynamics during mitosis is key to deciphering cell division mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate dynamic cell volume changes during mitosis.
- To correlate cell volume fluctuations with specific mitotic phases.
- To examine the relationship between cell volume and surface area changes during cell division.
Main Methods:
- Utilized advanced single-cell imaging techniques.
- Quantified cell volume and surface area in adherent cultured cells.
- Monitored cells throughout mitosis, from prophase to cytokinesis.
Main Results:
- Adherent cells exhibited a decrease in volume as they rounded upon entering mitosis.
- A minimal cell volume was observed during the metaphase stage.
- Rapid cell volume recovery began before cell abscission, coinciding with the metaphase-to-cytokinesis transition.
- Observed simultaneous rapid decreases and recoveries in cell surface area during mitosis.
Conclusions:
- Cell volume undergoes significant, dynamic changes during mitosis.
- These volume changes are tightly coupled with cell rounding and surface area dynamics.
- The findings provide new insights into the biophysical regulation of cell division.
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