One centriole (arrow) organizes microtubules (white) throughout the cell cycle, while an apposing centriole (arrowhead) acquires this ability during mitosis.

Not all centrosomes are created equal. On page 13, Rusan and Peifer reveal that the separation of a dominant and a secondary centrosome helps define an asymmetric division axis in fly neuroblasts.

Asymmetric divisions in stem cells give rise to one daughter that will differentiate and one that will replace the stem cell. This asymmetry can be set by the orientation of the mitotic spindle through microtubule interactions with the cortex. But Nasser and Peifer find that fly neural stem cells begin to align their spindles before they are even built.

Spindle orientation in male germline stem cells was recently shown to be defined by separation of the mother centrosome, which remains near the stem cell niche, and the daughter centrosome, which travels to...

The Rockefeller University Press
2007
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
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