Diversity is the spice of life: An overview of how cytokinesis regulation varies with cell type

Cytokinesis is required to physically cleave a cell into two daughters at the end of mitosis. Decades of research have led to a comprehensive understanding of the core cytokinesis machinery and how it is regulated in animal cells, however this knowledge was generated using single cells cultured in vitro, or in early embryos before tissues develop. This raises the question of how cytokinesis is regulated in diverse animal cell types and developmental contexts. Recent studies of distinct cell types in the same organism or in similar cell types from different organisms have revealed striking differences in how cytokinesis is regulated, which includes different threshold requirements for the structural components and the mechanisms that regulate them. In this review, we highlight these differences with an emphasis on pathways that are independent of the mitotic spindle, and operate through signals associated with the cortex, kinetochores, or chromatin.

Automated summary

Cytokinesis, the process of physically dividing a cell into two daughters, has been extensively studied in vitro and early embryos, but its regulation in different animal cell types and developmental contexts remains poorly understood. Recent studies have revealed striking differences in the regulation of cytokinesis between different cell types and organisms, including diverse threshold requirements for structural components and different mechanisms of regulation. This review focuses on these differences, particularly in pathways independent of the mitotic spindle, and associated with the cortex, kinetochores, or chromatin.