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Asymmetric segregation of Numb: a mechanism for neural specification from Drosophila to mammals

Nature Neuroscience volume 5, pages 1265–1269 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

It is a major challenge to understand how the neuroepithelial cells of the developing CNS choose between alternative cell fates to generate cell diversity. In invertebrates such as Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans, asymmetric segregation of cell-fate determining proteins or mRNAs to the two daughter cells during precursor cell division plays a crucial part in cell diversification. There is increasing evidence that this mechanism also operates in vertebrate neural development and that Numb proteins, which function as cell-fate determinants during Drosophila development, may also function in this way in vertebrates. Recent studies on mouse cortical progenitor cells have provided the strongest evidence yet that this is the case. Here, we review these and other findings that suggest an important role for the asymmetric segregation of Numb proteins in vertebrate neural development.

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Figure 1: Role of Numb in Drosophila sensory organ development.
Figure 2: Symmetric and asymmetric segregation of a cell-fate determining protein that is localized to the apical cortex in vertebrate neuroepithelial cells.
Figure 3: m-Numb distribution in dividing mouse cortical neuroepithelial cells.

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Acknowledgements

M.C. was funded by a Long-Term Fellowship from the Human Frontier Science Program Organization, and M.R. was funded by the Medical Research Council (UK). We thank W. Zhong and Y. N. Jan for sharing their results prior to publication, and members of the Raff Lab for comments and support.

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  1. Michel Cayouette

    Present address: Stanford University, Department of Neurobiology, Fairchild Building, 299 Campus Drive, D231, Stanford, California, 94305-5125, USA

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  1. MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and Cell Biology Unit, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

    Michel Cayouette & Martin Raff

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Correspondence to Michel Cayouette.

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Cayouette, M., Raff, M. Asymmetric segregation of Numb: a mechanism for neural specification from Drosophila to mammals. Nat Neurosci 5, 1265–1269 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1202-1265

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