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Stem cells

To be and not to be

It has long been proposed that stem cells function by dividing to generate an identical daughter cell and a cell that becomes more specialized. New work illustrates such asymmetric division and its molecular basis.

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Figure 1: Stem-cell decisions. a, A dividing fly neuroblast gives rise to a neuroblast and a smaller ganglion mother cell.

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Lin, H. To be and not to be. Nature 425, 353–355 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/425353a

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