Researchers have explained how chromosomes contribute in the cell division process. The role of chromosomes has been explained by a team including Silvana Jananji, researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre; Gilles Hickson, assistant professor at the University of Montreal’s Department of Pathology and Cell Biology; Nelio Rodrigues, a PhD student; Sergey Lekomtsev, a post-doctoral student; together with Buzz Baum of the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology at University College London who led the study explaining the process.

Study explaining the role of chromosomes has been published by the researchers in the journal Nature.

The researchers explained that cell division takes place in process of cytokinesis. In this process, the division of body cells causes the growth of body tissues and organs in addition to development of functions of the full body system. A single cell splits a number of times and these consecutively divide and divide again for millions of times.

In animals, mitosis leads to process of cell division. In mitosis, the division of chromosomes goes for the division of cells into new ones through the process of cytokinesis.

The process of cytokinesis or the fundamental molecular mechanisms that leads to the process was never understood properly; however, it has been found now that chromosomes play active role throughout the complete process.

According to Hickson, “Division is a complex and robust process that is generally performed flawlessly, but when an error occurs in DNA separation or during cytokinesis, it can be a source for triggering cancer, for example”.