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The Contractile Ring

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 Ring

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...

Spindle Assembly

Spindle Assembly

Spindle assembly occurs through three, often coexisting, pathways – the centrosome-mediated pathway, the chromatin-mediated pathway, and the microtubule-mediated pathway – collectively contributing to form a robust spindle apparatus.
In most cells, centrosomes are the primary microtubule nucleation centers. In the centrosome-mediated pathway, the G2-prophase transition triggers centrosome maturation and increased microtubule nucleation. Progressive nucleation results in a microtubule array...

The Phragmoplast

The Phragmoplast

Cell division is essential for organismal growth and development. In animal cells, the central spindle and its associated proteins form the midbody, a structure that has an essential role in cytokinesis. In plants, the central spindle, along with the microtubules, actin, and other cell components, matures into the phragmoplast, which is necessary for cytokinesis. Unlike the stationary midbody, the phragmoplast expands centrifugally, eventually leading to the formation of the new cell wall.
The...

Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria

Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria

Bacterial cells were initially considered simple, randomly organized structures lacking a cytoskeleton. However, the discovery of cytoskeleton homologs in bacteria led to the change of this opinion. Bacterial cytoskeletal filaments regulate the cell shape, cell polarity, cell division, and partitioning of plasmids during cell division. It was later discovered that bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, mainly actin and tubulin homologs, are diverse compared to their eukaryotic counterparts. On the...

Determining the Plane of Cell Division

Determining the Plane of Cell Division

Positioning the cell division plane is a critical step during development and cell differentiation, particularly during mitosis when the plane is essential for determining the size of the two daughter cells. The cell division plane is perpendicular to the plane of chromosome segregation, but different types of organisms have different cell division mechanisms to suit their morphology and function.
Animal cells
In animal cells, the cleavage furrow forms along the plane of cell division starting...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Synchronization of Caulobacter Crescentus for Investigation of the Bacterial Cell Cycle

Synchronization of Caulobacter Crescentus for Investigation of the Bacterial Cell Cycle

Published on: April 8, 2015

Assembly of the Caulobacter cell division machine.

Erin D Goley¹, Yi-Chun Yeh, Sun-Hae Hong

¹Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. egoley@stanford.edu

Molecular Microbiology

|May 6, 2011

Summary

This study details the precise order of divisome assembly during bacterial cell division in Caulobacter crescentus. Understanding this process reveals conserved and variable mechanisms of bacterial cytokinesis.

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Synchronization of Caulobacter Crescentus for Investigation of the Bacterial Cell Cycle

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Published on: April 8, 2015

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Spatiotemporal Analysis of Cytokinetic Events in Fission Yeast

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Cytokinetic Events in Fission Yeast

Published on: February 20, 2017

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Cell Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Cytokinesis in Gram-negative bacteria relies on the divisome, a complex machine responsible for cell division.
The precise assembly order and regulation of divisome components remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the temporal order of divisome assembly in Caulobacter crescentus.
To investigate the functional context, genetic dependencies, and cell cycle regulation of divisome protein recruitment.

Main Methods:

Utilized synchronous cell populations of Caulobacter crescentus.
Analyzed the localization, genetic dependencies, and expression levels of divisome proteins throughout the cell cycle.

Main Results:

Established a high-resolution temporal map of divisome assembly, from initial site establishment to cell separation.
Identified distinct stages including FtsZ-binding protein recruitment, peptidoglycan remodeling, core component assembly, and envelope invagination.
Observed differences in divisome assembly compared to other bacterial species.

Conclusions:

Provided an unprecedented temporal resolution of bacterial cytokinesis.
Established a framework for distinguishing conserved from variable aspects of divisome assembly across bacteria.