Polarity in stem cell division: asymmetric stem cell division in tissue homeostasis
- PMID: 20182603
- PMCID: PMC2827902
- DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a001313
Polarity in stem cell division: asymmetric stem cell division in tissue homeostasis
Abstract
Many adult stem cells divide asymmetrically to balance self-renewal and differentiation, thereby maintaining tissue homeostasis. Asymmetric stem cell divisions depend on asymmetric cell architecture (i.e., cell polarity) within the cell and/or the cellular environment. In particular, as residents of the tissues they sustain, stem cells are inevitably placed in the context of the tissue architecture. Indeed, many stem cells are polarized within their microenvironment, or the stem cell niche, and their asymmetric division relies on their relationship with the microenvironment. Here, we review asymmetric stem cell divisions in the context of the stem cell niche with a focus on Drosophila germ line stem cells, where the nature of niche-dependent asymmetric stem cell division is well characterized.
Figures



References
-
- Akong K, McCartney B, Peifer M 2002b. Drosophila APC2 and APC1 have overlapping roles in the larval brain despite their distinct intracellular localizations. Dev Biol 250:71. - PubMed
-
- Akong K, Grevengoed E, Price M, McCartney B, Hayden M, DeNofrio J, Peifer M 2002a. Drosophila APC2 and APC1 play overlapping roles in wingless signaling in the embryo and imaginal discs. Dev Biol 250:91. - PubMed
-
- Asaoka M, Lin H 2004. Germline stem cells in the Drosophila ovary descend from pole cells in the anterior region of the embryonic gonad. Development 131:5079–5089 - PubMed
-
- Boyle M, Wong C, Rocha M, Jones DL 2007. Decline in self-renewal factors contributes to aging of the stem cell niche in the Drosophila testis. Cell Stem Cell 1:470–478 - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
Molecular Biology Databases