Cleavage furrow

Definition

A cleavage furrow is a shallow groove on the cell surface that deepens to divide the cell into two during cytokinesis in animal cells. It forms when the cytoskeleton constricts at the site of division, leading to separation of the daughter cells.

Related terms

Cytokinesis:

The process during cell division where the cytoplasm of a single eukaryotic cell divides into two daughter cells.

Mitosis:

A type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus, typical of ordinary tissue growth.

Cytoplasm:

The material or protoplasm within a living cell, excluding the nucleus, where various cellular processes occur