Asymmetric cell division

Asymmetric cell division produces daughter cells with different identities or developmental fates. The difference can arise from unequal inheritance of cellular contents or from distinct signals received after division.

Cell polarity: The spatial organization of a cell into distinct regions with different molecular compositions or functions. Polarity positions fate determinants so daughter cells can inherit different contents.
Drosophila neuroblast: A neural stem cell in the fruit fly that divides to renew itself and produce a differentiating daughter. Its unequal division is a classic example of localized fate determinants guiding daughter identities.
Stem cell: An undifferentiated cell that can self-renew and produce one or more specialized cell types. Asymmetric division often couples stem-cell renewal to production of a differentiating daughter.
Stem-cell niche: The local environment that regulates stem-cell survival, self-renewal, and differentiation. Niche position can expose only one daughter to signals that preserve stem-cell identity.
Cell fate determinant: A molecule whose unequal inheritance or activity helps specify a cell's developmental identity. Localized determinants can pass selectively into one daughter during division.
Drosophila sensory organ precursor cell: A fly epithelial progenitor that divides to generate cells of a sensory organ. Its lineage demonstrates how Notch signaling can assign different fates to sibling cells.
Cell differentiation: The process by which a cell acquires specialized structures and functions. Different developmental fates become observable as daughters differentiate along distinct paths.
Neurogenesis: The formation of neurons from neural progenitor or stem cells. Repeated asymmetric divisions let neural progenitors expand while generating differentiating cells.
Mitotic spindle: A microtubule-based structure that segregates chromosomes and helps position the cleavage plane during cell division. Spindle orientation can align the division plane with cellular polarity.
C. elegans embryogenesis: The development of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans from a fertilized egg into a multicellular organism. Early embryonic divisions partition maternal factors to establish distinct cell lineages.

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