Stepping into the ring: the SIN takes on contractile ring assembly

The septation initiation network (SIN) regulates the timing of septum formation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. However, whether and how the SIN functions in contractile ring formation has remained unclear. In this issue of Genes & Development, Hachet and Simanis (pp. 3205 - 3216) demonstrate that the SIN acts downstream from the Plo1 kinase to control a final step in contractile ring assembly. Furthermore, their careful analysis of contractile ring formation may help bridge two existing models of cytokinetic ring formation.