title: Cell elongation is an adaptive response for clearing long chromatid arms from the cleavage plane.
abstract: Chromosome segregation must be coordinated with cell cleavage to ensure correct transmission of the genome to daughter cells. Here we identify a novel mechanism by which Drosophila melanogaster neuronal stem cells coordinate sister chromatid segregation with cleavage furrow ingression. Cells adapted to a dramatic increase in chromatid arm length by transiently elongating during anaphase/telophase. The degree of cell elongation correlated with the length of the trailing chromatid arms and was concomitant with a slight increase in spindle length and an enlargement of the zone of cortical myosin distribution. Rho guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (Pebble)-depleted cells failed to elongate during segregation of long chromatids. As a result, Pebble-depleted adult flies exhibited morphological defects likely caused by cell death during development. These studies reveal a novel pathway linking trailing chromatid arms and cortical myosin that ensures the clearance of chromatids from the cleavage plane at the appropriate time during cytokinesis, thus preserving genome integrity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
authors.forename: Shaila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kotadia
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montembault
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Royou
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000502:physiology*; D002842:Chromatids / Q000378:metabolism*; D020090:Chromosome Segregation; D048749:Cytokinesis; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics; D009218:Myosins / Q000378:metabolism; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D009218:Myosins