the midbody structure contains bundles of microtubules derived from the mitotic spindle which compacts during the final stages of cell division. it has a typical diameter of 1 micrometre and a length of 3 to 5 micrometres. aside from microtubules it also contains various proteins involved in cytokinesis, asymmetric cell division, and chromosome segregation. the midbody is important for completing the final stages of cytokinesis, a process called abscission, although its precise role in these processes is not clear.