Daniel Cortes

Lab Website: Cortes Lab
Publications: Google Scholar

Successful cell division requires distributive segregation of genome copies into daughter cells. Early in division microtubules form a bipolar spindle that aligns replicated chromosomes along the metaphase plate. As sister chromatids begin to segregate apart, a large contractile structure made up of f-actin and non-muscle myosin II assembles along the equatorial cortex of the cell aligned with the division plane. This actomyosin contractile ring is a highly dynamic structure that constricts to physically drive membrane ingression and cell division. We combine cell biology techniques, such as quantitative fluorescence microscopy and genetics, with computational techniques, such as agent-based modeling, to characterize the molecular mechanisms of cell division. We are particularly interested in investigating how chromosome segregation defects in anaphase alter contractile ring composition and dynamics during cytokinesis and abscission.

Cytokinesis | Cell Division | Abscission Checkpoint | Contractile Ring Dynamics | Agent-based Modeling