A series of biopolymers added to irrigation water were tested for their efficacy in reducing shear-induced erosion in a laboratory-scale mini-furrow. Suspensions of chitosan, starch xanthate, cellulose xanthate, and acid-hydrolyzed cellulose microfibrils, at concentrations of 20, 80, 80, and 120 ppm, respectively, reduced suspended solids by more than 80%. None of these biopolymers, however, ex...

In animal cells, cytokinesis is characterised by the formation of the mitotic spindle that signals the assembly of an actomyosin ring between the spindle poles. Contraction of this ring drives ingression of the cleavage furrow, and culminates in the formation of a thin intercellular bridge between the daughter cells. At the centre of this bridge is the midbody, which is thought both to provide ...

Genetic screens in Drosophila designed to search for loci involved in gastrulation have identified four regions of the genome that are required zygotically for the formation of the ventral furrow. For three of these, the genes responsible for the mutant phenotypes have been found. We now describe a genetic characterization of the fourth region, which encompasses the cytogenetic interval 24C3-25...

Cell division requires coordinated regulation of chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. Although much is known about the function of the protease separase in promoting sister chromosome separation, the role of separase during cytokinesis is unclear. We show that separase localizes to the ingressing furrow and midbody during cytokinesis in the C. elegans embryo. Loss of separase function during...

Cytokinesis ensures the proper partitioning of the nuclear and cytoplasmic contents into independent daughter cells at the end of cell division. Although the metazoan mitotic spindle has been implicated in the placement and advancement of the cleavage furrow, the molecules responsible for these processes have remained elusive. Recent studies have provided insights into the role of different mic...

The ventral furrow and posterior midgut invaginations bring mesodermal and endodermal precursor cells into the interior of the Drosophila embryo during gastrulation. Both invaginations proceed through a similar sequence of rapid cell shape changes, which include apical flattening, constriction of the apical diameter, cell elongation and subsequent shortening. Based on the time course of apical ...

alcium just got a promotion. Findings by Caroppo et al. (page 111) reveal that in addition to its many roles inside the cell, Ca 2 ϩ has a distinct extracellular purpose: it acts via a Ca 2 ϩ receptor (CaR) to regulate the function of gastric epithelial cells. It has been known for some time that extracellular Ca 2 ϩ can be sensed by the CaR. The team noted that a Ca 2 ϩ gradient was generated ...

ARTICLE HISTORY Received 3 August 2016 Revised 24 October 2016 Accepted 24 October 2016 ABSTRACT BAR domain proteins can regulate ‘membrane reservoirs’ that provide surface area and buffer membrane tension. Syndapin is an F-BAR and SH3 domain containing protein involved in cytoskeletal remodelling and endocytosis. The Syndapin F-BAR domain is uniquely versatile compared to others in the family ...

The process of cytoplasmic cleavage has been studied in thin sections of rat erythroblasts and the cells of mouse leukemia and Walker 256 carcinoma of the rat. The development of the cleavage furrow begins in relation to the mid-body, which, earlier, appears on the equatorial plane in association with the continuous fibers of the spindle. The earliest evidence of a cleavage furrow is the presen...

Rab11 is a small GTPase that regulates several aspects of vesicular trafficking. Here, we show that Rab11 accumulates at the cleavage furrow of Drosophila spermatocytes and that it is essential for cytokinesis. Mutant spermatocytes form regular actomyosin rings, but these rings fail to constrict to completion, leading to cytokinesis failures. rab11 spermatocytes also exhibit an abnormal accumul...