Carlos and Daniel’s paper is accepted at MBoC!

Non-muscle myosin II (NMM-II) is thought to drive the cytoskeletal remodelling that closes the cytokinetic ring. But NMM-II can function as a cross-linker and not just a motor. The literature contains increasing evidence that cross-linkers do not simply drive or brake cytoskeletal remodelling, but rather that they play a positive (driving) role up to a certain threshold, over which they hinder (brake) remodelling. Carlos found this to indeed be the case for NMM-II and for the non-motor cross-linker anillin, in cells. Daniel created an agent-based model of the cytokinetic ring, and found evidence there also that both motor and non-motor cross-linkers play positive and negative roles in the cytoskeletal remodelling that achieves cytokinesis.