Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 4, 2026

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Cytokinetic Events in Fission Yeast
Published on: February 20, 2017
Regulation of contractile ring formation and septation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Alaina H Willet1, Nathan A McDonald1, Kathleen L Gould1
1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, PMB 407935, 465 21st Ave S., Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, United States.
Abstract:
The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has become a powerful model organism for cytokinesis studies, propelled by pioneering genetic screens in the 1980s and 1990s. S. pombe cells are rod-shaped and divide similarly to mammalian cells, utilizing a medially-placed actin-and myosin-based contractile ring. A cell wall division septum is deposited behind the constricting ring, forming the new ends of each daughter cell. Here we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the regulation of contractile ring formation through formin proteins and the role of the division septum in S. pombe cell division.
Related Concept Videos
The Contractile Ring
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
Septins
Role of Septins
Cellular Functions of Septins
Recent studies have revealed the multifaceted roles of septins in various cellular processes such as cytokinesis, ciliogenesis, and neurogenesis. Septins act as scaffolds and...
Yeast Signaling
The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells

