Computers Analyze Contractile Rings Used for Cell Division
Physicists from Columbia University and Lehigh University collaborated with cell biologists from Yale University to determine how single cells use tiny muscle-like rings to undergo cell division, a critical component in the developmental process of living creatures.
Using time-lapse photography and computer models, the team analyzed yeast cells during the cell division process. Their investigation showed cells undergoing mitosis generated proteins clusters called nodes. These nodes produced filaments which continually connected and disconnected with other nodes until a structure known as a contractile ring formed around the cell’s equator. That ring later contracted to pinch the cell into two genetically identical daughter cells.
Having computers which can produce a quantitative analysis of contractile rings would be a breakthrough for scientists involved in cancer research because faulty cell separation is one factor thought to promote tumor development. As the group’s leader explained,
“The team of biologists and physicists integrated live cell observations, data analysis, and computer simulations to reveal a remarkable assembly mechanism. The collaboration demonstrated the crucial role of perspectives and techniques from the physical sciences and engineering in the new biology.”
Ben O’Shaughnessy
Professor of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University
The scientists say the next step is to study other cell types, including human cells, to learn if they use the same proteins and mechanisms for cell division.
Source: Columbia News
Related Links: Science; Lehigh University News; Yale University Office of Public Affairs
Related Podcast: Keeping cell division in check from The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Tags: cytokinesis; biochemistry; NIH-funded
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