Division plane control in plants: new players in the band

Unique mechanisms are used to orient cell division planes in plants. A cortical ring of cytoskeletal filaments called the preprophase band (PPB) predicts the future division plane during G2 and is disassembled as the mitotic spindle forms, leaving behind a 'cortical division site'(CDS) that guides the placement of the new cell wall (cell plate) during cytokinesis. The molecular features of the CDS have remained elusive for decades. Recently, a few proteins have at last been identified that are specifically localized to or excluded from the CDS and that participate in the orientation, attachment or maturation of cell plates. Recent progress has also been made in identifying proteins needed for PPB formation and thus for division plane establishment.