First published online October 12, 2007
Development 134, 2101e (2007)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
The APC of asymmetric divisions
Asymmetric cell divisions generate cell diversity during development, but
what regulates the segregation of cell fate determinants during these
divisions? Slack and co-workers have been examining the localization of
Miranda (an adaptor for several neural cell fate determinants) to the basal
cortex of Drosophila neuroblasts, which divide asymmetrically into an
apical neuroblast and a basal ganglion mother cell. On
p. 3781, the
researchers report that this localization of Miranda requires the
anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), a new function for this mitotic
regulator. They show that when APC/C activity is attenuated, Miranda
accumulates near the centrosome instead of at the basal cortex. They also show
that the C-terminal domain of Miranda is ubiquitylated, that removal of this
domain disrupts Miranda localization similarly to APC/C attenuation, and that
addition of ubiquitin to this C-terminal truncated protein restores its
localization. As APC/C is an E3 ubiquitin ligase, the researchers speculate
that APC/C normally adds a ubiquitin tag to Miranda that regulates its
asymmetric localization in neuroblasts.
Related articles in Development:
- Asymmetric localisation of Miranda and its cargo proteins during neuroblast division requires the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome
- Cathy Slack, Paul M. Overton, Richard I. Tuxworth, and William Chia
Development 2007 134: 3781-3787.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
