Talin concentrates to the midbody region during mammalian cell cytokinesis

In this study we investigated the cellular distribution of talin, a cytoske letal protein, during mammalian cell cytokinesis. Immunohistochemical exper iments on Various carcinoma cell lines and mesenchyme-derived cells reveal that talin displays a cell cycle-dependent cellular localization. During me taphase, talin is located in the centromeric region of the chromosome, like the TD-60 protein and intrinsic centromere components detected by a CREST serum. From anaphase to telophase, talin is present in the cleavage furrow. As the cells progress to cytokinesis, when the furrow is complete, talin i s concentrated in the midbody structures, as assessed by immunofluorescence and confirmed by Western blot experiments on purified midbodies. Double st aining experiments reveal that a-tubulin, TD-60 protein, and talin co-local ize in the midbodies. These results suggest that talin, in addition to its implication in focal adhesion organization and signaling, may play a critic al role in cytokinesis.