# Molecular mechanisms of cell division robustness

> **NIH NIH R35** · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · 2020 · $340,696

## Abstract

Project summary/Abstract
A remarkable feature of cells is their ability to divide accurately even when environmental or
intracellular conditions show strong variation. Thus, cells and organisms exhibit an intrinsic
`robustness' that buffers against fluctuations while allowing high-fidelity cell division, which is
vital for genome maintenance and human health. The molecular toolkit necessary for cell
division has been studied in great detail in yeast and humans, however, we do not know how
the component parts work together to establish robustness. To understand the underlying
mechanisms, it is necessary to explore how single cells respond to controlled perturbations and
to combine this information with a theoretical framework of the underlying regulatory circuits.
This project will globally examine the extent and limits of cell division robustness in fission yeast
and determine which underlying molecular features allow robustness. Specifically, we will
precisely titrate intracellular protein concentrations or modify extracellular conditions and
analyze cell division accuracy by quantitative single cell imaging. To develop hypotheses on the
mechanisms that establish robustness, these results will be combined with computational
models of the underlying circuits. Model simulations can suggest important network features that
allow robustness, which will then be tested in specific experiments. The successful completion
of this work will create a first map of robustness in a eukaryote, which systematically describes
when cell division robustness breaks down and pinpoints the critical network properties at the
“fragile edges” of cell division. Besides understanding a fundamental biological problem, our
study can be a stepping stone for work in human cells, where personalized cancer therapy will
benefit from knowledge on the mechanisms that underlie the robustness and fragility of cell
division.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9933935
- **Project number:** 5R35GM119723-05
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Silke Hauf
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $340,696
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9933935

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9933935, Molecular mechanisms of cell division robustness (5R35GM119723-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9933935. Licensed CC0.

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