Lipid Polarization during Cytokinesis

Abstract

The plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells is composed of a large number of lipid species that are laterally segregated into functional domains as well as asymmetrically distributed between the outer and inner leaflets. Additionally, the spatial distribution and organization of these lipids dramatically change in response to various cellular states, such as cell division, differentiation, and apoptosis. Division of one cell into two daughter cells is one of the most fundamental requirements for the sustenance of growth in all living organisms. The successful completion of cytokinesis, the final stage of cell division, is critically dependent on the spatial distribution and organization of specific lipids. In this review, we discuss the properties of various lipid species associated with cytokinesis and the mechanisms involved in their polarization, including forward trafficking, endocytic recycling, local synthesis, and cortical flow models. The differences in lipid species requirements and distribution in mitotic vs. male meiotic cells will be discussed. We will concentrate on sphingolipids and phosphatidylinositols because their transbilayer organization and movement may be linked via the cytoskeleton and thus critically regulate various steps of cytokinesis.

Cell intrinsic mechanical regulation of plasma membrane accumulation at the cytokinetic furrow

“…3A). Second, cortical flows, driven by cortical contractility gradients, are directed towards the cell division plane (2, 3), and membrane-cortex drag forces (33–37) could pull the plasma membrane towards the cleavage furrow (26, 31, 35) (Fig. 3A).…”

Analysis of theLeishmania mexicanapromastigote cell cycle using imaging flow cytometry provides new insights into cell cycle flexibility and events of short duration

“…This suggests that while cytokinesis is constrained to occur at the midpoint of the cell along the A-P axis, following the inward folding of the plasma membrane and subpellicular microtubules, cleavage of the membrane and microtubules can initiate at many points along the axis. Thus, cytokinesis in promastigote L. mexicana differs considerably from that in the related kinetoplastid, T. brucei (54, 69), and may reflect that Leishmania cells round up before dividing, altering the membrane curvature which could influence furrow ingression (70, 71).…”

“…This suggests that while cytokinesis is constrained to occur at the midpoint of the cell along the A-P axis, following the inward folding of the plasma membrane and subpellicular microtubules, cleavage of the membrane and microtubules can initiate at many points along the axis. Thus, cytokinesis in promastigote L. mexicana differs considerably from that in the related kinetoplastid, T. brucei (52, 67), and may reflect that Leishmania cells round up before dividing, altering the membrane curvature which could influence furrow ingression (68, 69). Such flexibility in cytokinesis has been reported before in L. major (5), but not remarked on in other studies (3, 6), which may be a reflection of the lower number of dividing cells analysed (<150 post-S phase cells in (3) and just four furrowing cells in (6)).…”

High-throughput analysis of membrane fluidity unveils a hidden dimension in immune cell states

“…13,14 These biophysical properties have been shown to change during cellular processes such as proliferation and migration. 15,16,17,18,19 More recently, evidence has started highlighting the relationship between membrane biophysics and immune cell activity. 20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28 Importantly, alterations in cellular biophysical properties could occur without any changes in the genomic and transcriptomic profiles of dysfunctional cells (e.g., induced by nutrients or immediate microenvironment) 29,30 which makes it a complementary cell state indicator.…”