细胞分裂是细胞周期的最后阶段，是母细胞产生两个子细胞的过程。在动物细胞分裂时，收缩环(由肌动蛋白及肌球蛋白组成)会于赤道上形成，并缢缩构成卵裂沟。细胞膜会因此被缢缩到细胞内，把母细胞一分为二。目前，我们普遍认同收缩环的形成同时受两种独立的机理所介导：主轴依赖机理及星体依赖机理。近期研究发现，细胞外基质能稳定卵裂沟的形成与活动，调节细胞分裂。由于细胞外基质主要通过粘附复合物来调控细胞内的细胞骨架。因此我们推测在细胞分裂时，细胞外基质能通过粘附复合物作介质，调控收缩环的形成与活动。迄今为止，人们对细胞粘附蛋白在细胞分裂的作用与机理所知甚少，而且尚未有有系统的研究。因此，本项目拟通过一系列细胞生物学与分子遗传学的实验，阐明并了解粘附复合物及其组成蛋白在细胞分裂中的作用与机理，填补细胞生物学在这方面的重要空白。

Cytokinesis, the process that divides a single mother cell into two daughter cells, is mediated by the ingression of contractile ring containing F-actin and non-muscle myosin as two major components. Positioning of the contractile ring is regulated by two independent mechanisms, a central spindle-dependent mechanism and an astral relaxation mechanism. Recently, two reports revealed that the extracellular matrix component, Chondroitin Proteoglycans and Hemicentin, regulates cleavage furrow in C. elegans embryos and stabilizes the cleavage furrow in C. elegans dividing gonad cells and mouse embryos, respectively. These indicate that extracellular matrix may regulate the dynamic of contractile ring. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this regulation is largely unknown. We propose that the proteins mediate cell adhesion may also functional in cytokinesis to regulate the dynamic of actin filaments in the contractile ring. We sought to combine cell biological, molecular genetics and biochemical approaches to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the regulation of cytokinesis by extracellular matrix.