Understanding cytokinesis through synthesis rewiring and in vitro reconstitution
2015
Mohan K. Balasubramanian
Summary of the science
Cytokinesis is the process when a cell splits into two new cells. A lot of different components and steps are involved. Balasubramanian and his colleagues use techniques called synthesis rewiring and in vitro reconstitution to learn more about cytokinesis. In this case, synthesis rewiring means they are changing when individual components involved in cytokinesis are active and 'doing their part'. This allows them to see if each of the components need to be active at a specific point in time or if the order doesn't matter. In vitro reconstitution basically means they are recreating this process in a lab, so they can get rid of any outside factors that could interfere with the process.
About the research
The Balasubramanian lab focuses on the study of cell division in different organisms. They aim to understand how cells physically divide into two and investigate the assembly, positioning, and tension generation of the actomyosin ring in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. It is known that the actomyosin ring components assemble at the medial cortex into node-like structures before forming a ring - this in an important step to ensure genome stability. The Mid1p protein is required for the assembly these nodes and recruits other proteins to the division site. By synthetically targeting these individual components, they found that their assembly does not have to occur in a specific order to get to the same division outcome.
About the illustration
We wanted to visually illustrate the actomyosin ring during cytokinesis, including the individual components. The first node components that are recruited by Mid1p are indicated by the black receptor molecules at the centre line linked to the white circles. The free-floating and partly assembled black rectangular and white circle components are there to represent the other node components that assemble later on and in no particular order. We decided the cell was not enough to fill the page, so we completed the background with dividing cells that are either dividing correctly (100% transparent), incorrectly (dark) or not at all (50% opacity).