In this work, we identified and characterized developmentally regulated aspects to
cell division in the Xenopus laevis. We found that cells in the early neural plate divide in
an oriented manner. This orientation is established by Cdc42 controlled maintenance of
stable interactions between the spindle and the cell cortex. This role of Cdc42 is
developmentally regulated and cells dividing later in a related tissue, the tail epidermis,
are not under this control. Moreover, we find that the cell divisions in the early neural
plate are further specialized in their mechanisms of cell division. Cells in the early neural
plate exhibit exaggerated anaphase-B movements, a delayed onset of cytokinesis, low
density of midzone microtubules and a rapid cytokinetic furrow ingression as compared
to the late tail epidermis, another ectodermally derived tissue. These modifications to the
mechanism of cell division appear to be because of a reduced level of PRC1, a
microtubule bundling protein, and thus modifications to the central spindle structure.
Finally, we find that cytokinetic mechanisms may be functionally related to the process
of ciliogenesis. We find proteins known to localize to the central spindle localized to the
rootlet of the basal body of cilia in multiciliated cells of the mucociliary epidermis. This localization may be related to vesicle transport during both these processes. This work
reveals unexpected plasticity to fundamental mechanisms of cell division. / text
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTEXAS/oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/6555 |
| Date | 19 October 2009 |
| Creators | Kieserman, Esther Kathleen |
| Source Sets | University of Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | electronic |
| Rights | Copyright is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works. |
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