Definition of Cleavage Furrow
A cleavage furrow develops on the surface of the cell at that moment when the cell is preparing itself to divide. It is formed when the contractile ring, a proteinaceous structure composed of actin and myosin, starts pinching the cell membrane inwards. The ring squeezes the cell membrane to such a point that the parental cell is divided into two daughter cells.
This phenomenon happens due to the ability to actin and myosin to relax and contract. This cleavage furrow appears in the cells of animals and algae. The plant cells have an outer cell wall which is quite a rigid structure so they do not form a cleavage furrow but a cell plate.
View More Genetics Definitions
Related Questions of Genetics
Meiotic nondisjunction is much more likely than mitotic nondisjunction. Based on
A woman who is heterozygous, Bb, has brown eyes;
Explain why familial breast cancer shows a dominant pattern of inheritance in
How is an F′ factor different from an F factor?
With regard to the timing of conjugation, explain why the recipient
The raw material for evolution is random mutation. Discuss whether or
Why is an antibody used in this experiment? From
Explain the type of speciation (allopatric, parapatric, or sympatric
In fruit flies, curved wings are recessive to straight wings,
A recessive allele in mice results in an unusally long neck.
Show All
