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Stem cells, asymmetric division and cancer

Asymmetric division of stem cells results into two unequal daughter cells, only one of which resembles the parent stem cell. A new study provides genetic evidence in Drosophila melanogaster that the disturbance of this delicately balanced process in neuronal stem cells induces a cancer-like state.

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Figure 1: Asymmetric cell division in the neuroblast stem cell system of the D. melanogaster brain5.

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Clevers, H. Stem cells, asymmetric division and cancer. Nat Genet 37, 1027–1028 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1005-1027

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