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PLoS Genetics Issue Image | Vol. 8(4) April 2012

Unresolved chromatin bridges during cytokinesis.

As with DNA double-strand breaks, uncapped telomere ends lead to the formation of dicentric chromosomes. These chromosome configurations may initiate genomic instability by firing BFB-cycles after chromatin bridges break during mitosis. However, some of these may remain unbroken (blue, DNA) during furrow ingression (yellow, cortical actin) up to later stages of cytokinesis. A study by Pampalona et al. in human mammary epithelial cells exhibiting progressive telomere dysfunction reports that persistent chromatin bridges in the cleavage plane engender binucleated polyploid cells by failing to complete cytoplasmatic cell division.

Image Credit: Judit Pampalona (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona).

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Unresolved chromatin bridges during cytokinesis.

As with DNA double-strand breaks, uncapped telomere ends lead to the formation of dicentric chromosomes. These chromosome configurations may initiate genomic instability by firing BFB-cycles after chromatin bridges break during mitosis. However, some of these may remain unbroken (blue, DNA) during furrow ingression (yellow, cortical actin) up to later stages of cytokinesis. A study by Pampalona et al. in human mammary epithelial cells exhibiting progressive telomere dysfunction reports that persistent chromatin bridges in the cleavage plane engender binucleated polyploid cells by failing to complete cytoplasmatic cell division.

Image Credit: Judit Pampalona (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona).

https://doi.org/10.1371/image.pgen.v08.i04.g001