This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.Even though cell division has been intensively studied over the past decades, the very last step of cytokinesis, abscission, is still poorly understood. After assembling the midbody from the central spindle, postmitotic daughter cells remain connected by a cytoplasmic channel for a long time during interphase, until their ultimate separation by fission of the plasmamembrane.Using electrophysiology in human cells during cytokinesis can give us a better insight into the plasma membrane fission during cytokinetic abscission. By monitoring the overall resistance of a cell using Voltage Clamp we anticipated to detect the reduction of membrane surface upon final cell separation. The combination of electrophysiological methods with confocal time lapse imaging can help us to correlate the precise timing of abscission with other cellular events such as midbody microtubule disassembly. Failure in cytokinesis produces tetraploid cells, which through subsequent erratic cell divisions leads to genomic instability, a hallmark of most solid tumors. Understanding cellular defects that lead to tetraploidy, and mechanisms protecting cells against it might therefore help to identify potential targets for improved cancer therapy.The BRC facility provided us with the required equipment, introduced us to patch clamp techniques, and assisted us in developing assays probing for membrane fission during abscission.
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