The contractile ring is a complex molecular apparatus which physically divides many eukaryotic cells. Despite knowledge of its protein composition, the molecular architecture of the ring is not known.
In many eukaryotes, including animals and fungi, cell division is accomplished by an actin- and myosin-based contractile apparatus (Green et al., 2012). This complex structure is tightly linked to the plasma membrane and uses myosin motors to constrict an F-actin ring (Cheffings et al., 2016), pulling opposing sides of the membrane together.
Future two-color super-resolution imaging could determine if large clusters contain combinations of components that persist from precursor nodes as well as any additional novel clustering behavior in the fully formed ring.
the initial setup of the ring involves the construction of a membrane-anchored scaffold.
Once a contiguous ring is formed, many additional components are recruited. Components that join the ring later are generally present within the intermediate layer. Many of these components, therefore, may ‘fill in’ between the membrane-bound proximal layer and F-actin to form a robust structure that withstands the forces of constriction, couples ring constriction with other events of mitosis, and connects the ring to cell wall formation that occurs coincidentally.
Common Design 