Cell division: BST2, the common feature between viral infections and midbodies

The human body is made up of tens of thousands of billions of cells, all originating from the division of one parent cell into two daughter cells. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur set out to investigate midbodies, which are key cell division structures, and they identified the role of BST2, a restriction factor involved in viral infections.

In order to divide, cells start by making identical copies of their chromosomes before distributing them to daughter cells. The parent cell then needs to physically cut itself into two daughter cells in a complex process known as 'cytokinesis'. Defects of cytokinesis result in the formation of genetically unstable cells, which are thought to account for over 40% of human cancers.

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