Cell Division in 3D

What am I looking at?

This is a 3D video of a so-called HeLa cell. In this video, the cell’s actin filaments are labeled in orange. As the cell enters the first stages of cell division, you can see a wave of actin traveling around the periphery of the cell. Then, as the cell splits, you can see the actin condensing – becoming brighter orange – at the point where the two daughter cells are separating.

Biology in the background

Cell division is the process of a cell splitting into two genetically identical daughter cells. The actin protein seen in this video is essential for successful cell division. While actin has several important functions during the process of cell division, among its most important ones is mediating the process of the cell splitting in two – the stage of cell division called cytokinesis.

During cytokinesis, the cell forms a ring of actin around its center, where it will split. This ring contracts, becoming smaller and smaller and pulling the plasma membrane with it. Finally, the ring becomes small enough that it pinches off the plasma membrane and seals it, separating the parent cell into its two daughter cells.

A HeLa cell can range from 20 micrometers to 40 micrometers across, or roughly a quarter to half the width of a human hair, while actin filaments are tiny – only about 7 nanometers wide, or roughly 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Technique

This video was created using confocal microscopy.