New work from our postdoc Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich and colleagues investigates how the mechanical properties of the cell cortex change to prepare cells for division. Their work “provides a characterization of the time-dependent mechanical properties of the mitotic cortex, confirming that it behaves like an active fluid film on longer timescales. Modulation of the properties of this film drives cell morphology and tissue reorganization.
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Fischer-Friedrich E, Toyoda Y, Cattin CJ, Müller DJ, Hyman AA, Jülicher F. Rheology of the Active Cell Cortex in Mitosis. 2016. Biophys J. 111(3):589-600.