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Updated: May 11, 2026
07:47
Microscopy of Fission Yeast Sexual Lifecycle
Published on: March 9, 2016
Understanding cytokinesis: lessons from fission yeast
Thomas D Pollard1, Jian-Qiu Wu
1Thomas D. Pollard is at the Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, and the Departments of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and of Cell Biology, Yale University, PO BOX 208103, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8103, USA.
Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology
|January 23, 2010
Summary
Understanding cell division (cytokinesis) is complex. Research in fission yeast reveals conserved mechanisms, particularly the contractile ring, essential for animal cell division.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Cytokinesis, the process of cell division, relies on a contractile ring of actin and myosin II.
- The complexity of cytokinesis has historically hindered mechanistic understanding.
- Fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) serves as a model organism for studying conserved cellular processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying cytokinesis.
- To identify conserved features of cytokinesis between yeast and animal cells.
Main Methods:
- Genetic analysis in Schizosaccharomyces pombe
- Biochemical assays
- Microscopic imaging techniques
- Mathematical modeling
Main Results:
- Key contractile ring components and their roles have been identified in fission yeast.
- Mechanistic insights into cleavage furrow constriction have been gained.
- Conservation of cytokinesis genes between yeast and animal cells suggests shared ancestral mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Fission yeast provides valuable models for understanding fundamental animal cell cytokinesis.
- The contractile ring mechanism is likely conserved across a wide range of eukaryotes.
- Further research in yeast can accelerate discoveries in human cell division.
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