Conserved from archaea to mammals, ESCRT filamentous system executes membrane fission in a variety of processes in cells including viral budding, formation of multivesicular bodies, plasma membrane repair, nuclear envelope assembly and cytokinetic abscission. Yet, many of the mechanistic steps that lead to ESCRT-driven membrane fission in cells have not been resolved. We tailor divers high-resolution microscopy techniques to study ESCRT driven membrane constriction and fission during cytokinetic abscission of mammalian cells. With this approach we aim to unlock the mechanistic principals of ESCRT mediated membrane fission in physiological process utilizing the ESCRT machinery for its function.
