Work

Polarized Myosin Produces Unequal-Size Daughters During Asymmetric Cell Division

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: Asymmetric positioning of the mitotic spindle before cytokinesis can produce different-sized daughter cells that have distinct fates. Here, we found an asymmetric division in the Caenorhabditis elegans Q neuroblast lineage that began with a centered spindle but generated different-sized daughters, the smaller (anterior) of which underwent apoptosis. During this division, more myosin II accumulated anteriorly, suggesting that asymmetric contractile forces might produce different-sized daughters. Indeed, partial inactivation of anterior myosin by chromophore-assisted laser inactivation created a more symmetric division and allowed the survival and differentiation of the anterior daughter. Thus, the balance of myosin activity on the two sides of a dividing cell can govern the size and fate of the daughters.

Source: Science

DOI: 10.1126/science.1196112

Authors: Guangshuo Ou, Nico Stuurman, Michael D’Ambrosio, Ronald D. Vale

Institutions: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco

Language: English

Topic: Microtubule and mitosis dynamics

Subfield: Cell Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Award: Microtubule Complexes Involved in Intracelluar Transport