Roles for the ESCRT Machinery and the Septin Complex in Membrane Abscission During Cytokinesis

Abstract

Abscission occurs during the final phase of cytokinesis, effectively partitioning a mother cell into two separate daughter cells. The process involves the scission of the membranous intracellular bridge, resulting in the release of the midbody stmcture. Proper membrane remodeling and removal of the midbody are requirements for successful abscission, and thus the location and trafficking of the midbody can be utilized as a marker for the final steps of abscission. The septin complex and the ESCRT machinery have been linked to membrane scission and midbody removal, but their regulation and coordination during abscission are not fully characterized. The project proposed herein aims to utilize fluorescence microscopy-based approaches to define the interdependent and cooperative roles of the septin and ESCR T machineries during the process of abscission, using the early Caenorhabditis elegans embryo as a model system.