The main goal of this proposal is to study the mechanisms that underlie and drive cytokinesis. I have chosen to utilize the powerful genetics of Drosophila to address this question. A large collection of mutations that affect cytokinesis during male meiosis is available. A subset of these mutations specifically affects the ability of cells that possess a contractile ring to undergo cytokinesis. Our work suggests that these mutations define a membrane trafficking pathway required for cytokinesis. This pathway involves the exocyst complex, which is thought to act in the tethering and docking of vesicles to the plasma membrane. I will examine our mutants for defects in membrane trafficking, and clone the genes represented by the five mutations. I will characterize the subcellular localization of these proteins, and test to see if the factors are commonly used in cytokinesis during development. I will also develop a system for the characterization of membrane dynamics during cytokinesis in both wild type and mutant tissues.
