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Written by Pawson Lab
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During development, cells must frequently divide in an asymmetric fashion, such that the two daughter cells are inherently different from one another, both to establish polarized tissues and to allow a single stem cell to generate several distinct mature cell types.
Commonly this is achieved through
regulatory proteins that themselves become asymmetrically localized during mitosis, and are preferentially
delivered into one of the resulting cells, where they organize its polarity and fate. Work in C. elegans,
Drosophila and mammals has established that a protein termed PAR-3 (Bazooka in flies and ASIP/PHIP in
vertebrates) plays an organizing role in such processes. PAR-3 has three PDZ domains, and a C-terminal
region that interacts with the atypical PKC isoforms, and appears to serve a scaffolding function in
establishing cellular asymmetry.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 03 April 2006 )
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