CAR-1, a protein that localizes with the mRNA decapping component DCAP-1, is required for cytokinesis and ER organization in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos.

The division of one cell into two requires the coordination of multiple components. We describe a gene, car-1, whose product may provide a link between disparate cellular processes. Inhibition of car-1 expression in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos causes late cytokinesis failures: cleavage furrows ingress but subsequently regress and the spindle midzone fails to form, even though midzone components are present.