Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2025
10:54
Quantitative Analysis of Cell Edge Dynamics during Cell Spreading
Published on: May 22, 2021
5.3K
Membrane oscillations driven by Arp2/3 constrict the intercellular bridge during neural stem cell divisions.
Bryce LaFoya1, Kenneth E Prehoda1
1Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1229 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|November 18, 2024
Summary
Newly formed cell connections called intercellular bridges (ICBs) in Drosophila neural stem cells use membrane oscillations, driven by actin networks, to complete cell division within tissues.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Animal cell division results in a transient intercellular bridge (ICB) connecting nascent sibling cells.
- Cytokinesis, the final step of cell division, involves ICB constriction.
- While isolated cells use migration-induced tension for ICB constriction, mechanisms in confined tissues remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms of ICB constriction in Drosophila larval brain neural stem cells (NSCs) during asymmetric division.
- To elucidate the role of membrane dynamics and actin networks in ICB function within a tissue context.
Main Methods:
- Super-resolution, full-volume imaging of ICBs in Drosophila NSCs.
- Functional inhibition of the Arp2/3 complex.
Main Results:
- Drosophila NSC ICBs exhibit constriction focused on the central midbody.
- Oscillatory waves in plasma membrane sheets surrounding the ICB pore were observed during formation and constriction.
- These membrane oscillations are dependent on Arp2/3-mediated branched actin networks.
- Arp2/3 complex inhibition disrupted membrane oscillations and prevented ICB constriction.
Conclusions:
- Localized membrane oscillations are crucial for ICB constriction in confined cellular environments where migration-based tension is absent.
- Arp2/3-dependent actin networks drive these essential membrane dynamics during cell division in tissues.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Cell Motility through Blebbing
1.9K
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
1.9K
02:15The Contractile Ring
6.3K
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...
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...
6.3K
01:31Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
2.5K
Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...
2.5K
02:13Determining the Plane of Cell Division
3.3K
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...
Animal cells
In animal cells, the cleavage furrow forms along the plane of cell division...
3.3K
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
4.7K
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker...
4.7K
01:21Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins
2.7K
Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...
2.7K