Work

Mitotic and meiotic midbody remnants: Divergent architectures with distinct clinical applications

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Midbody remnants (MBRs), once considered inert cytokinetic debris, are now recognized as architecturally specialized, translationally active organelles whose functions reflect the mode of cell division. This review compares MBR biology in symmetric somatic mitosis and asymmetric oocyte meiosis. In somatic cells, MBRs can be retained or secreted as large extracellular vesicles that carry midbody proteins, RNAs, and translation machinery; their enrichment in stem and cancer cells implicates them in cell-state regulation and identifies them as promising, though unvalidated, substrates for liquid-biopsy biomarkers and therapeutic targeting. In oocytes, meiotic midbodies form a distinctive ring-cap architecture that concentrates local translation and restricts maternal products to the egg, thereby supporting developmental competence. Together, these studies establish division mode as a key determinant of midbody architecture, cargo, fate, and translational potential, linking cytokinesis to cancer biology and reproductive medicine.

Source: Cell Genomics

DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2026.101386

Authors: Karen Schindler, Ahna R. Skop

Institutions: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Language: English

Topic: Extracellular vesicles in disease

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $8,900