Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Milestones
  • Published:

Milestone 8

Belting up

Actomyosin contractile ring in cytokinesis

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 9, pages s10–s11 (2010)Cite this article

To test this hypothesis, Schroeder treated cells with the drug cytochalasin B, which was later found to inhibit actin polymerization. The microfilaments rapidly depolymerized, the contractile ring disassembled and the cleavage furrow regressed. By contrast, microtubules of the mitotic apparatus were unaffected. So, the contractile ring drives cytokinesis independently of mitosis. Schroeder also showed that the volume of the contractile ring declined as the furrow constricted, and proposed that the filaments disassemble as the ring contracts.

...showed that cytokinesis depends on a myosin-powered contraction of a ring of actin filaments. Tom Pollard

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Schroeder, T. E. The contractile ring. II. Determining its brief existence, volumetric changes, and vital role in cleaving Arbacia eggs. J. Cell. Biol. 53, 419–434 (1972)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Schroeder & T. E. Actin in dividing cells. Contractile ring filaments bind heavy meromyosin. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 70, 1688–1692 (1973)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Fujiwara, K. & Pollard, T. D. Fluorescent antibody localization of myosin in the cytoplasm, cleavage furrow and mitotic spindle of human cells. J. Cell. Biol. 71, 848–875 (1976)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Mabuchi, I. & Okuno, M. The effect of myosin antibody on the division of starfish blastomeres. J. Cell. Biol. 74, 251–263 (1977)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

FURTHER READING

  1. Rappaport, R. Experiments concerning the cleavage stimulus in sand dollar eggs. J. Exp. Zool. 148, 81–89 (1961)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Associate Editor, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology,

    Francesca Cesari

Authors
  1. Francesca Cesari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cesari, F. Belting up. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 9 (Suppl 1), s10–s11 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2561

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2561

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing