Seminar "Novel approaches to study mechanism of cytokinesis in animal cells."　Prof. Issei Mabuchi.

Cell Signal Unit would like to invite you to a seminar by Prof. Issei Mabuchi.

Speaker: Prof. Issei Mabuchi

Gakushuin University, Faculty of Science

http://www-cc.gakushuin.ac.jp/~e060105/mabuchilab/index-en.html

Title: Novel approaches to study mechanism of cytokinesis in animal cells.

Abstract:

Animal and fungal cells undergo cytokinesis by contraction of the contractile ring formed in the division cortex (Figure: contractile ring in a sea urchin egg).  The ring consists mainly of actin and myosin and is thought to contract through interaction between these proteins.

     I would like to talk about our recent approaches to clarify the mechanism of cytokinesis utilizing semi-in vitro systems.  In the first approach we use fission yeast cells which have been believed to divide by function of the actin-myosin “ring” similar to the contractile ring in animal cells.  We permeabilize fission yeast cells to obtain “cell ghosts” which still retain the ring structure at the division site.  The ring contracts upon addition of ATP.  We have been able to show some interesting feature of the contraction of the ring by this system.  In the second approach we challenge to create a contractile ring-like structure in a cell extract isolated from Xenopus laevis oocytes.  Though we need a time to achieve our goal, we have found an interesting feature of the cell extract confined in an artificial lipid membrane.  Actin flows in the extract and the flow seems to generate a force for the extract to migrate on a substrate.

Host: 

Tadashi Yamamoto, Cell Signal Unit

Sincerely,

Kaori Yamashiro

Cell Signal Unit (Yamamoto Unit)