title: Drosophila neuroblasts: a model for stem cell biology.
abstract: Drosophila neuroblasts, the stem cells of the developing fly brain, have emerged as a key model system for neural stem cell biology and have provided key insights into the mechanisms underlying asymmetric cell division and tumor formation. More recently, they have also been used to understand how neural progenitors can generate different neuronal subtypes over time, how their cell cycle entry and exit are coordinated with development, and how proliferation in the brain is spared from the growth restrictions that occur in other organs upon starvation. In this Primer, we describe the biology of Drosophila neuroblasts and highlight the most recent advances made using neuroblasts as a model system.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Dr Bohr Gasse 3-5, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Catarina C F
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Homem
authors.forename: Juergen A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Knoblich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060049:Asymmetric Cell Division; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D055495:Neurogenesis; D009457:Neuroglia; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors