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Molecular mechanisms of contractile-ring constriction and membrane trafficking in cytokinesis

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Abstract

In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of cytokinesis from plants to humans, with a focus on contribution of membrane trafficking to cytokinesis. Selection of the division site in fungi, metazoans, and plants is reviewed, as well as the assembly and constriction of a contractile ring in fungi and metazoans. We also provide an introduction to exocytosis and endocytosis, and discuss how they contribute to successful cytokinesis in eukaryotic cells. The conservation in the coordination of membrane deposition and cytoskeleton during cytokinesis in fungi, metazoans, and plants is highlighted.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Tom Pollard for all the mentoring and support of our studies on cytokinesis. We thank Yajun Liu, Larissa Valle Guilhen Longo, Rongkai Guo, and Sha Zhang for critical reading of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jian-Qiu Wu.

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Funding

This work was supported by the grant R01GM118746 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of NIH to JQW.

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Kenneth S. Gerien declares that he has no conflict of interest. Jian-qiu Wu declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Gerien, K.S., Wu, JQ. Molecular mechanisms of contractile-ring constriction and membrane trafficking in cytokinesis. Biophys Rev 10, 1649–1666 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12551-018-0479-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12551-018-0479-3

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