The role of FIP3-dependent endosome transport during cytokinesis

Mitosis is a complex cellular process that is completed by the final abscission step called cytokinesis. The many roles of cytoskeletal proteins in animal cell division have been studied extensively, and are essential for proper daughter cell segregation. Lately, the need for the membrane delivery to the cleavage furrow of dividing cells has been implicated as a necessary and important step in cytokinesis.1-4 Newly published work from several group demonstrate that endosomal membranes are required for cytokinesis and also provide insight into the targeting of these membranes to the cleavage furrow.5-8 Rab11 GTPase and its effector protein FIP3 were shown to play key roles in endosome targeting to the cleavage furrow in a spatially and temporally regulated manner.7-9 Thus, Rab11/FIP3 protein complex have emerged as a regulator of endocytic traffic, essential for the abscission step in cytokinesis.