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Myosins are multimeric motor proteins involved in various cellular processes such as migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Myosin II is the most common type in animal cells, which binds and cross-links actin filaments.
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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.
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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...
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Eukaryotic cells have different motor proteins for transporting various cargo within the cell. These motor proteins differ based on the filament they associate with, the direction they move within the cell, and the type of cargo they transport. Motor proteins that associate with microtubules are known as microtubule-associated motor proteins. There are two families of microtubule-associated motor proteins —Kinesins and Dyneins. Both these proteins assist in the transport of cellular...
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Septins are the recently discovered fourth major protein component of the cytoskeleton, along with microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. These proteins can associate with other cytoskeletal filaments and carry out varied roles or can be free-floating in the cytoplasm.
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Spatiotemporal Analysis of Cytokinetic Events in Fission Yeast
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Myosins in Cytokinesis.

Thomas D Pollard1

  • 1Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. thomas.pollard@yale.edu.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|May 27, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Myosin motors drive cell division (cytokinesis) in animals, fungi, and amoebas. Computer models reveal how these motors assemble and constrict contractile rings, pinching cells into two daughter cells.

Keywords:
ActinComputer simulationCytokinesisMyosin

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Motors

Background:

  • Myosin motors are crucial for cytokinesis, the process of cell division, across diverse eukaryotic organisms including animals, fungi, and amoebas.
  • Research over the past decade has increasingly focused on the mechanistic details of myosin's role in forming and constricting the contractile ring.
  • Myosin-II isoforms, similar to those in muscle, are the primary motors for cytokinesis, though other myosin types also contribute, particularly in fission yeast.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanistic roles of myosins in the assembly and constriction of contractile rings during cytokinesis.
  • To explore the contribution of different myosin isoforms to the cell division process.
  • To understand the regulatory mechanisms, particularly the involvement of Rho-GTPases, controlling myosin activity at the cleavage site in various organisms.

Main Methods:

  • Development of physically plausible computer simulations to model myosin behavior.
  • Analysis of myosin isoform involvement in cytokinesis across different species.
  • Investigation of regulatory pathways, including Rho-GTPases, that control myosin accumulation and activity.

Main Results:

  • Computer simulations provide insights into how myosins contribute to contractile ring dynamics.
  • Myosin-II is confirmed as the main motor for cytokinesis in amoebas, fungi, and animals.
  • While Rho-GTPase regulation of myosin-II is understood in animal cells, mechanisms in other systems remain less clear.

Conclusions:

  • Myosin motors are essential and conserved machinery for cytokinesis in eukaryotes.
  • Mechanistic modeling offers a powerful approach to understanding complex cellular processes like contractile ring dynamics.
  • Further research is needed to fully delineate the regulatory networks governing myosin function in cell division across different phylogenetic branches.