Cell division is a fundamental biological process that ensures the segregation of genetic material and also involves dramatic changes in the cellular geometry, leading to cytokinesis: the cleavage of a cell giving rise to two daughter cells. In metazoans, cytokinesis is orchestrated by flows resulting from active stress gradients in the actomyosin cortex -- a thin film comprising myosin motors, actin filaments, and other associated macromolecules. In this thesis, we develop a theory for the geometrodynamics of the cortex treated as an active surface. At high activity, we observe self-organised dynamics of the cytokinetic furrow and concomitant myosin patterns, which agree well with experimental measurements during the first division in the C. elegans embryo. Through RNAi perturbations, we further test our theoretical predictions about the emergence of asymmetries during cytokinesis. This work suggests that the self-organised geometrodynamics of active fluid surfaces underlies cytokinesis
Zoom link: https://icts-res-in.zoom.us/j/96361862661?pwd=unyVqFAGob5JK0Xhf373rigT6QXlt1.1
Meeting ID: 963 6186 2661
Passcode: 101011