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Cell Cycle
Eukaryotes
Cytokinesis
Physical division of the cytoplasm following nuclear division.
Overview
In animal cells, cytokinesis occurs via a contractile ring of actin and myosin II that assembles at the cell equator, creating a cleavage furrow that ingresses to physically separate daughter cells. The position of the contractile ring is specified by the central spindle and astral microtubules. Abscission, the final cut, requires the ESCRT-III complex. In plant cells, a cell plate forms from vesicle fusion at the phragmoplast.
Cellular Location
Cell equator / plasma membrane
Clinical Significance
Failure causes multinucleated cells and polyploidy, contributing to tumorigenesis; cytokinesis failure is a route to whole-genome duplication in cancer.