Midbody (cell biology)

The midbody is a transient structure found in mammalian cells and is present near the end of cytokinesis just prior to the complete separation of the dividing cells. The structure was first described by Walther Flemming in 1891. The central section of a midbody was named after Flemming and is called the Flemming body.
The midbody structure contains bundles of microtubules derived from the mitotic spindle which compacts during the final stages of cell division. It has a typical diameter of 1 micrometre and a length of 3 to 5 micrometres. Aside from microtubules it also contains various proteins involved in cytokinesis, asymmetric cell division, and chromosome segregation. The midbody is important for completing the final stages of cytokinesis, a process called abscission, although its precise role in these processes is not clear.