Solulevy

Solulevy, in Finnish biology, refers to the cell plate, a transient membrane-bound structure that forms during cytokinesis in plant cells and some algae to divide the cytoplasm between two daughter cells. It emerges as a distinct disc-like compartment within the phragmoplast and eventually develops into a separating cell wall.

During late mitosis, vesicles derived from the Golgi apparatus accumulate at the center of the phragmoplast, a microtubule-based structure. These vesicles fuse to create the cell plate, which grows outward as additional vesicles fuse and deliver wall materials to the expanding boundary. The leading edge is often reinforced by transient layers of callose, which regulate growth and fusion processes before being replaced by the mature cell wall components.

The material of the cell plate comprises vesicle membranes and cell wall precursors, including pectins, hemicelluloses, and cellulose. Enzymes that synthesize and modify these polymers, along with cytoskeletal elements guiding vesicle delivery and fusion, coordinate plate formation. After fusion with the parental cell walls at the periphery, the plate matures into a complete separating cell wall, and plasmodesmata may form at these junctions to connect the two daughter cells.

Significance and scope: the solulevy is central to cytokinesis in land plants and many algae, where wall formation and cell separation rely on this process. Animals and most fungi achieve cytokinesis without a cell plate. In Finnish scientific literature, solulevy is a standard term describing this key step in plant cell division.