Connecting cancer to the asymmetric division of stem cells.
Two studies, one in this issue of Cell and the other in Developmental Cell show that the cell-fate determinant Brain Tumor (Brat) suppresses self-renewal in one of the daughter cells that arise from the asymmetric division of a neural stem cell. This work suggests a mechanism by which loss of polarity in stem cells may lead to tumorigenesis.
Wodarz
Andreas
A
Department of Stem Cell Biology, DFG Research Center for Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CMPB), University of Göttingen, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. awodarz@gwdg.de
Gonzalez
Cayetano
C
D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C412783:brat protein, Drosophila; C073099:pros protein, Drosophila