First published online April 30, 2007
Development 134, 1004e (2007)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
Neurons in a spindle over division
In the mammalian cortex, cell-fate choices are determined by the
orientation of the mitotic spindle. Previous studies have shown that when the
mitotic spindle of a cell orientates parallel to the apical surface of the
neural tube, two progenitor cells are generated, but when it orientates
perpendicularly, a neuron and a progenitor are produced in a stem cell mode of
division. Whether these findings can be extrapolated to cell divisions in the
rest of the nervous system, particularly in the spinal cord, is unknown. Using
a novel, time-lapse imaging assay, Kate Storey and co-workers now reveal
(p. 1943) that in the
chick spinal cord the mitotic spindle orientation does not correlate with a
switch from progenitor-only to neuron plus progenitor-generating divisions.
However, it does distinguish stem cell modes from terminal modes of division
that produce only neurons. The birth of neurons from stem cell divisions is
captured for the first time and, surprisingly, the relationship between
spindle orientation and cellular identity appears different in the spinal cord
as compared with the cortex.
Related articles in Development:
- Mitotic spindle orientation distinguishes stem cell and terminal modes of neuron production in the early spinal cord
- Arwen C. Wilcock, Jason R. Swedlow, and Kate G. Storey
Development 2007 134: 1943-1954.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
