Exploring the function of cell shape and size during mitosis.
Dividing cells almost always adopt a spherical shape. This is true of most eukaryotic cells lacking a rigid cell wall and is observed in tissue culture and single-celled organisms, as well as in cells dividing inside tissues. While the mechanisms underlying this shape change are now well described, the functional importance of the spherical mitotic cell for the success of cell division has been thus far scarcely addressed. Here we discuss how mitotic rounding contributes to spindle assembly and positioning, as well as the potential consequences of abnormal mitotic cell shape and size on chromosome segregation, tissue growth, and cancer.
Systems Biology of Cell Division and Cell Polarity, UMR 144 Institut Curie/CNRS, 26 Rue d'Ulm 75248 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Clotilde
C
Cadart
Systems Biology of Cell Division and Cell Polarity, UMR 144 Institut Curie/CNRS, 26 Rue d'Ulm 75248 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Ewa
E
Zlotek-Zlotkiewicz
Systems Biology of Cell Division and Cell Polarity, UMR 144 Institut Curie/CNRS, 26 Rue d'Ulm 75248 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Maël
M
Le Berre
Systems Biology of Cell Division and Cell Polarity, UMR 144 Institut Curie/CNRS, 26 Rue d'Ulm 75248 Paris Cedex 05, France. Electronic address: matthieu.piel@curie.fr.
Matthieu
M
Piel
MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK. Electronic address: h.matthews@ucl.ac.uk.
Helen K
HK
Matthews
D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000502:physiology*; D020090:Chromosome Segregation / Q000502:physiology*; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008938:Mitosis / Q000502:physiology*