Asymmetric cell division of stem and progenitor cells during homeostasis and cancer

Stem and progenitor cells are characterized by their ability to self-renew and produce differentiated progeny. A fine balance between these processes is achieved through controlled asymmetric divisions and is necessary to generate cellular diversity during development and to maintain adult tissue ho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS 2014-02, Vol.71 (4), p.575-597
Main Authors: Gómez-López, Sandra, Lerner, Robin G, Petritsch, Claudia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adults
Animals
Asymmetric Cell Division
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
brain
Cancer
Cell Biology
Cell division
Homeostasis
Humans
Life Sciences
Neoplasms - metabolism
Neoplasms - pathology
Neural Stem Cells - cytology
Neural Stem Cells - metabolism
Neural Stem Cells - pathology
progeny
Review
Stem cells
Stem Cells - cytology
Stem Cells - metabolism
Stem Cells - pathology
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Summary:Stem and progenitor cells are characterized by their ability to self-renew and produce differentiated progeny. A fine balance between these processes is achieved through controlled asymmetric divisions and is necessary to generate cellular diversity during development and to maintain adult tissue homeostasis. Disruption of this balance may result in premature depletion of the stem/progenitor cell pool, or abnormal growth. In many tissues, including the brain, dysregulated asymmetric divisions are associated with cancer. Whether there is a causal relationship between asymmetric cell division defects and cancer initiation is as yet not known. Here, we review the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate asymmetric cell divisions in the neural lineage and discuss the potential connections between this regulatory machinery and cancer.
ISSN:1420-682X
1420-9071
DOI:10.1007/s00018-013-1386-1