Asymmetric cell division depends on the polarization of the dividing cell for the correct alignment of the mitotic spindle and the localization of cytoplasmic determinants. Receptor-independent activation of heterotrimeric G proteins by the Drosophila GoLoco protein Partner of Inscuteable seems to represent a novel mechanism to control these events.

beta-Catenin can promote adhesion at the cell cortex and mediate Wnt signaling in the nucleus. We show that, in Caenorhabditis elegans, both WRM-1/beta-catenin and LIT-1 kinase localize to the anterior cell cortex during asymmetric cell division but to the nucleus of the posterior daughter afterward. Both the cortical and nuclear localizations are regulated by Wnts and are apparently coupled. W...

The prenatal development of the human brain is characterized by a rapid increase in brain volume and a development of a highly folded cortex. At the cellular level, these events are enabled by symmetric and asymmetric cell division in the ventricular regions of the brain followed by an outwards cell migration towards the peripheral regions. The role of mechanics during brain development has bee...

Upon infection, an activated CD4+ T cell produces terminally differentiated effector cells and renews itself for continued defense. In this study, we show that differentiation and self-renewal arise as opposing outcomes of sibling CD4+ T cells. After influenza challenge, antigen-specific cells underwent several divisions in draining lymph nodes (LN; DLNs) while maintaining expression of TCF1. A...

Effector T cell responses rely on a phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous population of cells. Whether this diversity is programmed before clonal expansion or in later phases as a result of stochastic events or asymmetric cell division is not fully understood. In this study, we first took advantage of a sensitive in vitro assay to analyze the composition of single CD8(+) T cell progenie...

BACKGROUND The PAR proteins are known to be localized asymmetrically in polarized C. elegans, Drosophila, and human cells and to participate in several cellular processes, including asymmetric cell division and spindle orientation. Although astral microtubules are known to play roles in these processes, their behavior during these events remains poorly understood. RESULTS We have developed a ...

The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans has produced a wellspring of insights into mechanisms that govern cellular symmetry breaking during animal development. Here we focus on two highly conserved systems that underlie many of the key symmetry-breaking events that occur during embryonic and larval development in the worm. One involves the interplay between Par proteins, Rho GTPases, and the a...

A strong correlation between centrosome age and fate has been reported in some stem cells and progenitors that divide asymmetrically. In some cases, such stereotyped centrosome behaviour is essential to endow stemness to only one of the two daughters, whereas in other cases causality is still uncertain. Here, we present the different cell types in which correlated centrosome age and fate has be...

During asymmetric cell division, the Notch regulator Numb segregates unequally to establish different cell fates in the two daughter cells. Numb is thought to act as an endocytic protein. Two new studies show that Numb antagonizes Notch signaling by also regulating recycling of Sanpodo-Notch complexes via AP-1.

Accumulating evidence suggests that mammalian cells asymmetrically segregate cellular components ranging from genomic DNA to organelles and damaged proteins during cell division. Asymmetric inheritance upon mammalian cell division may be specifically important to ensure cellular fitness and propagate cellular potency to individual progeny, for example in the context of somatic stem cell divisio...