La formine Diaphanous est essentielle pour l’organisation et la maturation de l’anneau contractile pendant la cytokinèse
Cytokinesis is the intricate process by which eukaryotic cells divide in two. It involves the coordination of many components in order to avoid the formation potentially cancerous cells. Initially, a Rho GTPase- and actomyosin-dependent contractile ring (CR) drives constriction at the cell equator until a stable actin-independent midbody ring (MR) forms and ultimately guides the separation of the two sister cells. Diaphanous (Dia), is a Rho-dependent formin that nucleates unbranched actin filaments, localises to the cleavage furrow and is required for cytokinesis. We have examined the role of Dia during cytokinesis by time lapse video microscopy of Drosophila S2 cells expressing markers tagged with fluorescent proteins (FPs). A functional Dia-FP was recruited to the CR independently of actin and stayed in the nascent MR, but was absent from the mature MR. The timing of its disappearance coincided with the transition of the MR to an actin-independent structure. RNAi-mediated depletion of Dia slowed furrow ingression, enhanced furrow oscillations and, in 70% of the failures, prevented furrow completion, consistent with a role for Dia in CR organization. The F-actin probe, LifeAct-FP, revealed a decrease in F-actin in Dia-depleted cells specifically at the CR while Anillin-FP and Myosin-FP were aberrantly recruited in punctate structures. Our findings are consistent with a model in which Dia nucleates actin filaments at the CR to maintain the dynamic organization of the actin-dependent CR and that the regulated loss of Dia from the nascent MR guides the formation of the stable, actin-independent MR.
Diaphanous Cytokinesis Actin Contractile ring Midbody ring