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Related Concept Videos

The Contractile Ring02:15

The Contractile Ring

Contractile rings are composed of microfilaments and are responsible for separating the daughter cells during cytokinesis. Contractile ring assembly proceeds along with other cell cycle events; however, very few mechanistic details are known about the timing and coordination of the contractile rings with the cell cycle.
A small GTPase, RhoA, controls the function and assembly of the contractile ring. RhoA belongs to the Ras superfamily of proteins. The activation of formins by RhoA promotes...
The Contractile Ring02:15

The Contractile Ring

Contractile rings are composed of microfilaments and are responsible for separating the daughter cells during cytokinesis. Contractile ring assembly proceeds along with other cell cycle events; however, very few mechanistic details are known about the timing and coordination of the contractile rings with the cell cycle.
A small GTPase, RhoA, controls the function and assembly of the contractile ring. RhoA belongs to the Ras superfamily of proteins. The activation of formins by RhoA promotes...
Actin and Myosin in Muscle Contraction01:16

Actin and Myosin in Muscle Contraction

Actin and myosin are contractile proteins that form the sarcomere found in skeletal muscle tissues for regulating muscle contraction. Actin, a globular contractile protein, interacts with myosin for muscle contraction. The skeletal tissue appears striped or striated under a microscope due to the repeated arrangement of contractile proteins actin and myosin along the length of myofibrils. Dark A bands and light I bands repeat along myofibrils, and the alignment of myofibrils in the cell causes...
The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells01:10

The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells

Actin and myosin or actomyosin filaments also play a significant role in cells other than those involved in muscle contraction (which occurs within the sarcomere of muscle cells). The mechanism of non-muscle cell contractile bundles was first observed in Dictyostelium and Acanthamoeba. In non-muscle cells, two bundles are commonly found: stress fibers and actomyosin adherence belts. These contractile bundles are smaller and less organized than the ones found in muscle cells. They  are held...
Cross-bridge Cycle01:26

Cross-bridge Cycle

As muscle contracts, the overlap between the thin and thick filaments increases, decreasing the length of the sarcomere—the contractile unit of the muscle—using energy in the form of ATP. At the molecular level, this is a cyclic, multistep process that involves binding and hydrolysis of ATP, and movement of actin by myosin.
Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal Muscles01:20

Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal Muscles

Excitation-contraction coupling is a series of events that occur between generating an action potential and initiating a muscle contraction. It occurs at the triad, a structure found in skeletal muscle fibers that comprise a T-tubule and terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum on each side. These triads are visible in longitudinally sectioned muscle fibers. They are typically located at the A-I junction — the junction between the A and I bands of the sarcomere.
When an action potential...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

The Mechanics of (Poro-)Elastic Contractile Actomyosin Networks As a Model System of the Cell Cytoskeleton
08:50

The Mechanics of (Poro-)Elastic Contractile Actomyosin Networks As a Model System of the Cell Cytoskeleton

Published on: March 10, 2023

Kinetics of myosin node aggregation into a contractile ring.

Nikola Ojkic1, Dimitrios Vavylonis

  • 1Department of Physics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|September 28, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Fission yeast contractile ring assembly occurs when node interaction range exceeds band width. Wide bands are unstable, leading to clump formation from density fluctuations, offering insights into mutant cell mechanisms.

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Probing Myosin Ensemble Mechanics in Actin Filament Bundles Using Optical Tweezers
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Tuning the Contractility and Deformation Modes of Active Actin-Based Assemblies In Vitro: From Two-Dimensional Active Networks to Liquid Crystal Drops

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

The Mechanics of (Poro-)Elastic Contractile Actomyosin Networks As a Model System of the Cell Cytoskeleton
08:50

The Mechanics of (Poro-)Elastic Contractile Actomyosin Networks As a Model System of the Cell Cytoskeleton

Published on: March 10, 2023

Probing Myosin Ensemble Mechanics in Actin Filament Bundles Using Optical Tweezers
06:53

Probing Myosin Ensemble Mechanics in Actin Filament Bundles Using Optical Tweezers

Published on: May 4, 2022

Tuning the Contractility and Deformation Modes of Active Actin-Based Assemblies In Vitro: From Two-Dimensional Active Networks to Liquid Crystal Drops
06:48

Tuning the Contractility and Deformation Modes of Active Actin-Based Assemblies In Vitro: From Two-Dimensional Active Networks to Liquid Crystal Drops

Published on: July 11, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Biophysics
  • Computational biology

Background:

  • Cytokinesis requires precise assembly of the contractile ring.
  • Fission yeast is a model organism for studying cell division.
  • Contractile ring formation involves the stochastic aggregation of nodes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To model the stochastic aggregation of nodes into a contractile ring during fission yeast cytokinesis.
  • To determine the conditions under which a broad band of nodes condenses into a ring versus forming clumps.
  • To investigate the role of node interaction range and density fluctuations in ring/clump formation.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a stochastic aggregation model.
  • Derivation of expressions for node kinetics and formation times.
  • Numerical simulations to test model predictions.

Main Results:

  • Node bands condense into rings when interaction range is greater than band width.
  • Wide bands are unstable and prone to clump formation due to Poisson density fluctuations.
  • Model provides quantitative predictions for ring versus clump formation times.

Conclusions:

  • The study elucidates the physical principles governing contractile ring assembly.
  • Findings suggest that density fluctuations can lead to aberrant structures like clumps.
  • The model offers a framework for understanding defects in cytokinesis observed in mutant cells.