Cell size overrides ganglion mother cell fate specification in Drosophila
The size of cells varies enormously in biology and how cell size and function are linked are fundamental questions. Asymmetrically dividing Drosophila neural stem cells, also called neuroblasts, produce a large neuroblast and a smaller ganglion mother cell (GMC) at each division. However, why GMCs need to be smaller than neuroblasts has largely remained unexplained. Here, we developed acute and…
Cell size plays a crucial role in determining lineage behavior in Drosophila type I neural stem cells, despite the cells inheriting fate cues from their mother cell, according to a recent study. Neurobiologists have discovered that the size of daughter cells can override their inherited fate, with larger daughter cells exhibiting neuroblast-like properties and smaller daughter cells following a ganglion mother cell (GMC)-like trajectory.
By using novel methods to manipulate daughter-cell size during a single neuroblast division while maintaining cortical polarity and asymmetric inheritance of fate determinants, researchers were able to identify atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) as a regulator of size asymmetry. When aPKC and Rho kinase were partially inhibited, the resulting daughters spanned a size range, including near-symmetric sibling cells, despite inheriting GMC determinants.
This finding challenges the notion that daughter-cell size is solely determined by inherited fate cues and highlights the importance of cell size in shaping lineage behavior in Drosophila neural stem cells.
Written by urgent.news from bioRxiv's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
