Asymmetric cell division is a process whereby one cell generates two daughter cells that differ in size or developmental potential. Asymmetric cell divisions were first described during the initial, cleavage-like divisions of the zygote, where they contribute to the establishment of the body axes in some organisms. More recently, however, the identification of cell-fate determinants that are segregated asymmetrically in dividing somatic cells has focused the interest of the field on later stages of development. The importance of asymmetric cell divisions for stem cell biology has, in particular, generated a strong interest in the molecular mechanisms that guide this important biological process.FIG1
Much of what we know about asymmetric cell division comes from two model organisms: the worm Caenorhabditis elegans and the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. Their study has taught us much of what we know about segregating determinants and the molecules that guide their asymmetric localization during mitosis....
