title: Divide and differentiate: CDK/Cyclins and the art of development.
abstract: The elegant choreography of metazoan development demands exquisite regulation of cell-division timing, orientation, and asymmetry. In this review, we discuss studies in Drosophila and C. elegans that reveal how the cell cycle machinery, comprised of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) and cyclins functions as a master regulator of development. We provide examples of how CDK/cyclins: (1) regulate the asymmetric localization and timely destruction of cell fate determinants; (2) couple signaling to the control of cell division orientation; and (3) maintain mitotic zones for stem cell proliferation. These studies illustrate how the core cell cycle machinery should be viewed not merely as an engine that drives the cell cycle forward, but rather as a dynamic regulator that integrates the cell-division cycle with cellular differentiation, ensuring the coherent and faithful execution of developmental programs.
authors.affiliation: RNA Therapeutics Institute; University of Massachusetts Medical School; Worcester, MA USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; University of Massachusetts Medical School; Worcester, MA USA.
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishidate
authors.affiliation: RNA Therapeutics Institute; University of Massachusetts Medical School; Worcester, MA USA.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elewa
authors.affiliation: RNA Therapeutics Institute; University of Massachusetts Medical School; Worcester, MA USA.
authors.forename: Soyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: RNA Therapeutics Institute; University of Massachusetts Medical School; Worcester, MA USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; University of Massachusetts Medical School; Worcester, MA USA.
authors.forename: Craig C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Mello
authors.affiliation: RNA Therapeutics Institute; University of Massachusetts Medical School; Worcester, MA USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; University of Massachusetts Medical School; Worcester, MA USA.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shirayama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D016213:Cyclins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D016213:Cyclins; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases
keywords: C. elegans; CDK; Drosophila; asymmetric cell division; cyclin E; stem cell niche