Abstract
The plasmodial stage of the life cycle of the slime mould Physarum polycephalum has a unique feature that makes it a model system for the study of the processes involved in the initiation and control of mitosis. The 108 diploid nuclei in a 7-cm diameter plasmodium divide within a few minutes of each other. This natural synchrony is persistent, with an intermitotic time of about 9 h in our laboratory. The mitotic stages are easily seen in the phase contrast microscope and take about 30 min from early prophase to the end of telophase. Using this natural mitotic synchrony it has been possible to investigate changes in molecular structure and concentration through the cycle with a precision that is lacking in other artificially synchronized eukaryotic systems (see review by Mohberg, 1974).
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© 1976 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Inglis, R.J., Matthews, H.R., Bradbury, E.M. (1976). The Molecular Basis for the Control of Cell Division. In: Kiefer, J. (eds) Radiation and Cellular Control Processes. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66455-7_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66455-7_30
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