The midbody is the central region of the thin intercellular cytoplasmic bridge formed between daughter cells during cytokinesis. It consists of tightly bundled antiparallel microtubules, which embrace a phase-dense circular structure, called midbody ring. At the final stage of cytokinesis, the intercellular bridge is cleaved, in a process termed abscission, and two daughter cells are formed. Following abscission, the residual midbody structure, known as the midbody remnant or midbody derivative, can have different fates depending on the cell type. It can be either released to the extracellular medium, degraded by autophagy or persists in the cytoplasm, showing asymmetric accumulation in the daughter cells.

Midbody derivative
Midbody remnant

› Cellular component

› midbody [ GO:0030496 ]