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Expanding ring-shaped cleavage furrows in multinucleate cells.
Mary Ecke1, Jana Prassler1, Günther Gerisch1
1Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany.
Molecular Biology of the Cell
|January 18, 2023
Summary
Dictyostelium discoideum multinucleate cells can divide via a rare, hole-forming ring-shaped furrow. This process involves two phases and shares molecular mechanisms with standard cell division.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Multinucleate cells in Dictyostelium discoideum typically divide via unilateral cleavage furrows.
- These furrows ingress from the cell border, following myosin II and cortexillin-rich regions, avoiding spindle pole microtubule asters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of a rare, hole-forming ring-shaped furrow observed in a Dictyostelium discoideum mutant.
- To elucidate the two-phase development and molecular associations of these ring-shaped furrows.
Main Methods:
- Microscopy of Dictyostelium discoideum mutants exhibiting ring-shaped furrows.
- Analysis of cell cortex organization, membrane-substrate detachment, and membrane fusion.
- Investigation of the association with myosin II and cortexillin.
Main Results:
- Ring-shaped furrows initiate in the cell center, expanding outwards without contacting the periphery.
- The process occurs in two phases: an initial reversible apposition of cortices and substrate detachment, followed by membrane fusion and hole expansion.
- These furrows interact with lateral furrows and involve filamentous myosin II and cortexillin.
Conclusions:
- Ring-shaped furrow formation is a distinct mode of cell division in Dictyostelium discoideum.
- Despite geometrical differences, similar molecular mechanisms involving myosin II and cortexillin likely link ring-shaped furrows to standard contractile rings.
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