Congratulations to the Wu lab, which received a four-year grant from the NIH entitled "Molecular mechanisms of cytokinesis". The lab will use the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe to explore the molecular mechanisms that control proper completion and coordination of cytokinesis (the last step in cell division). In humans, cytokinesis failure can lead to birth defects and promote tumorigenesis, and contribute to diabetes, immunological disorders, and neurologic diseases. Understanding cytokinesis in a simple model system is a critical step towards understanding more complicated but similar processes in human cells. In addition, these studies may reveal excellent targets to develop new anti-fungal drugs.
