1ESCRT-III is a ubiquitous complex which catalyzes membrane fission from 2 within membrane necks via an as yet unknown mechanism. Here, we reconstituted in 3 vitro the ESCRT-III complex onto membranes. We show that based on variable affinities 4 between ESCRT-III proteins and the ATPase Vps4, subunits are recruited to the 5 membrane in a Vps4-driven sequence that starts with Snf7 and ends with Did2 and Ist1 6 which, together, form a fission-active subcomplex. Sequential recruitment of ESCRT-III 7 subunits is coupled to membrane remodeling. Binding of Did2 promoted the formation of 8 membrane protrusions which later constricted and underwent fission mediated by the 9 recruitment of Ist1. Overall, our results provide a mechanism to explain how a sequence 10 of ESCRT-III subunits drives membrane deformation and fission. 14 catalyze membrane fission from within membrane necks in all investigated cellular 15 processes requiring this type of fission event (1-16). ESCRT-III polymers are nucleated 16 by several factors. ESCRT-II, which binds ESCRT-III core subunit Vps20, is the 17 canonical one. Besides Vps20, yeast ESCRT-III complex contains three other core 18 subunits: Snf7, which binds Vps20-ESCRT-II, as well as Vps2 and Vps24, which, in 19 tandem, bind Snf7 and recruit the AAA-ATPase Vps4 via their [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. 20 While all ESCRT-III subunits have MIM-domains, their specific affinities for Vps4 differ 21 widely (22,23,25). Vps4 ATPase activity remodels ESCRT-III by inducing turnover of 22 ESCRT-III subunits, controlling the balance between polymer growth (27) and 23 disassembly (24-26). ESCRT-III core subunits assemble, alone or in various 24 stoichiometries, into single or multiple stranded filaments (24,(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33). These filaments 25 usually exhibit high spontaneous curvature, but a low rigidity, which leads to diverse 26 helical shapes like spirals (30,(32)(33)(34), conical spirals (28, 34) and tubular helices (24, 27 35). While the possibility that transitions occur between those shapes is under debate (36) 28 many findings support the notion that Vps4-dependent ESCRT-III remodeling promotes 29 membrane constriction and fission (7,27,37). The most direct evidence is the 30 asymmetric constriction of in vitro formed CHMP2-CHMP3 (mammalian homologs of 31 Vps2 and Vps24) tubular copolymers by Vps4 (38). While attempts to reconstitute fission 32 in vitro with ESCRT-III core subunits provided conflicting results regarding the role of 33 2 Vps4 (39, 40), the most constricted polymers observed with Snf7, Vps2 and Vps24 34 exceed a radius of 10 nm (24,27,30,32,33), far from the theoretical limit of 3 nm 35 required for spontaneous fission (41) and far from the radius of experimentally observed 36 dynamin pre-fission intermediates (42). This suggests that other subunits or mechanisms 37 are at play to reach sufficient constriction for membrane fission. 38 Aside from core ESCRT-III proteins, accessory subunits are thought to play a role 39 specific to subsets of ESCRT-III functio...