From Flow to Form: Emergence of the Cytokinetic Ring via Active Cortical Dynamics

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Autori principali: Mukherjee, Sabyasachi, Sain, Anirban
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Mukherjee, Sabyasachi
Sain, Anirban
author_facet Mukherjee, Sabyasachi
Sain, Anirban
contents During cell division active flows occur in the cortex, a thin layer of gel like network of acto myosin filaments, beneath the cell surface. The cortical flow and the associated stresses bring about change in the cell shape, in particular a sharp invagination at the mid cell. Using 3D phase field simulation of an active deformable shell, which captures coupled dynamics of cortical velocity and nematic order, we show how a nematic like actomyosin ring spontaneously emerge at the equator and drive sharp invagination. We further demonstrate how different cortical flow patterns, including counter rotating flows emerge near the division furrow. We show that these flow patterns, often attributed to intrinsic chirality of actomyosin filaments can instead arise from bias in the initial nematic alignment, revealing a memory effect in the system. By analyzing a simpler model of activity gradient driven compressive flow on a flat interface we decipher the main ingredients for surface instability leading to invagination and counter moving flows.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_17349
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle From Flow to Form: Emergence of the Cytokinetic Ring via Active Cortical Dynamics
Mukherjee, Sabyasachi
Sain, Anirban
Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
During cell division active flows occur in the cortex, a thin layer of gel like network of acto myosin filaments, beneath the cell surface. The cortical flow and the associated stresses bring about change in the cell shape, in particular a sharp invagination at the mid cell. Using 3D phase field simulation of an active deformable shell, which captures coupled dynamics of cortical velocity and nematic order, we show how a nematic like actomyosin ring spontaneously emerge at the equator and drive sharp invagination. We further demonstrate how different cortical flow patterns, including counter rotating flows emerge near the division furrow. We show that these flow patterns, often attributed to intrinsic chirality of actomyosin filaments can instead arise from bias in the initial nematic alignment, revealing a memory effect in the system. By analyzing a simpler model of activity gradient driven compressive flow on a flat interface we decipher the main ingredients for surface instability leading to invagination and counter moving flows.
title From Flow to Form: Emergence of the Cytokinetic Ring via Active Cortical Dynamics
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.17349