The rupture and independent extension of sister membranes in C. elegans embryos

Cytokinesis, the physical separation of a cell into two daughter cells, is classically thought to require continuous plasma membrane invagination driven by equatorial contractile forces. Here, we challenge this paradigm by uncovering an unexpected mechanism in C. elegans embryos: the plasma membrane ruptures as early as metaphase, detaching sister membranes before cytokinesis begins. Instead of invaginating as a continuous sheet, the separated membranes extend independently to partition the cytoplasm. This separation creates membrane discontinuities—widely observed in electron microscopy (EM) sections—both between the sister membranes and within individual sister cells. The exposed cytoplasmic regions are shielded by extracellular matrix components, likely preventing massive leakage. Our findings overturn the long-standing assumption that cytokinesis requires persistent membrane integrity, and offer fresh insights into cell division.