Stem cells in the news: CNN and APC make headlines.
Stem cell self-renewal depends on their ability to divide asymmetrically, with one daughter retaining stem cell identity. This often involves precise orchestration of mitotic spindle orientation, but the machinery used to ensure this outcome is understood in only a handful of examples. In a recent issue of Science, Yamashita et al. provide new insights into the factors that control this process in the male germline of Drosophila, identifying roles for the centrosomal protein Centrosomin and tumor suppressor homologs of the APC family.
McCartney
Brooke M
BM
Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Peifer
Mark
M
D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D018385:Centrosome / Q000502:physiology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D004330:Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D017385:Sequence Homology; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
C118001:APC protein, Drosophila; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; C098130:cnn protein, Drosophila