Midbody

The midbody is the central part of the cytokinetic bridge that connects daughter cells at the end of cytokinesis. It forms after complete constriction of the cleavage furrow and the underlying contractile ring. The midbody contains overlapping antiparallel bundles of microtubules, originating from the central spindle, together with a number of factors involved in cytokinesis. At the center of the midbody is a very dense bulging region, called the midbody ring. The principal function of the midbody is to determine the site of abscission between daughter cells in cytokinesis. This occurs on one or both sides of the midbody ring. Upon asymmetric abscission, one daughter cell retains remnants of the midbody, which in some cell types persist for an extended period of time. This phenomenon is referred to as midbody inheritance and have been implicated in regulation of cell polarity as well as post-mitotic cell fate.

Immunofluorescent staining

The midbody is a transient structure present during the final stages of cytokinesis. The midbody is found at the center of the cytokinetic bridge. In the Subcellular Section, exclusive staining of the constricted region of the cytokinetic bridge, containing tightly bundled microtubule filaments, as indicated by the microtubule marker, is annotated as midbody. A circular staining in the bulging region that lacks staining by the microtubule maker is annotated as midbody ring.

Read more about the proteome of the midbody as a substructure of microtubules.