Dividing cells find their middle by following a protein 'contour map'

Monday, June 30, 2008 - 14:14 in Biology & Nature

Self-organization keeps schools of fish, flocks of birds and colonies of termites in sync. It`s also, according to new research, the way cells regulate the final stage of cell division. Scientists at Rockefeller University have shown that a protein-chemistry-based contour map, which helps individual proteins locate the center of their cell without direction from a “master organizer,” is key to ensuring accurate division during mitosis.

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