These findings now open the door to investigating how the Dystrophin-associated protein complex coordinates the intracellular cytoskeleton and the ECM at distinct steps of cytokinesis.

Accordingly, the Dystrophin-Dystroglycan promotes cytokinetic ring contraction (in normal conditions) and efficient cell separation after ring contraction (in sensitised background). Note how long it takes post-constriction for some cells to fail cytokinesis. 9/11

We combined genetic evidence from mutants and new isoform-specific alleles (generated by @mirouse-lab.bsky.social
) to demonstrate that both Dystrophin isoforms promote cytokinesis efficiency, preventing the formation of multinucleated cells in the follicular epithelium. 8/11

Even more striking, we uncovered cytokinetic roles for the Dystrophin-Dystroglycan complex, best known for its involvement in muscular dystrophies. The cytokinetic functions became immediately apparent from its redistribution to the invaginating cytokinetic furrow in different Drosophila tissues.

This led to some surprising findings! First, rather than opposing constriction, some transmembrane proteins involved in adhesion to neighbouring cells facilitated cytokinesis. 6/11

We then accessed their role in cytokinesis efficiency by testing if RNAi perturbations modified the frequency of multinucleation in a cytokinesis-defective background (based on Anillin depletion) 5/11

To answer this, Margarida"notyetinBluesky" Gonçalves used the fruit fly superpowers to systematically disrupt, in vivo and in a specific tissue (follicular epithelium), the major transmembrane and cell matrix proteins involved in cellular connections. 4/11

Cytokinesis is essential for dividing one cell into two. Can you imagine life without it?
While we learned (and continue to learn) a lot from studies in single animal cells dividing in petri dishes, cells within an organism face unique challenges shaped by their environment. 2/11

Final version published today! Huge thanks to @emboreports.org for featuring our work
on the cover of the current issue 🙂
Here is an overview 🧵 of our new study on #cytokinesis in #fly #epithelia www.embopress.org/doi/epdf/10.... 1/11

First official post! A new paper out about #cytokinesis in #epithelia

www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

Explore our journey as we uncover how regulators of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions modulate cytokinesis efficiency, while revealing new roles for the Dystrophin-Dystroglycan complex.