Protein Equilibration Through Somatic Ring Canals in Drosophila

Abstract

Lord of the Ring Canal In Drosophila , some cells maintain direct cytoplasmic connections with their siblings by intercellular bridges known as ring canals that arise from mitotic cleavage furrows. In ovarian follicle cells and imaginal discs, McLean and Cooley (p. 1445 , published online 23 May) found that ring canals allowed diffusion of cytoplasmic proteins between cells and across mitotic clone boundaries, which may suggest a role in compensating for transcriptional variation between cells.