Stem cells can divide symmetrically to generate two similar daughter cells and expand the stem cell pool or asymmetricallyto self-renew and generate differentiating daughter cells. The proper balance between symmetric and asymmetric division iscritical for the generation and subsequent repair of tissues. Furthermore, unregulated stem cell division has been shown toresult in tumorous overgrowth. The Drosophila nervous system has proved to be a fruitful model system for studying the biol-ogy of neural stem cell division and uncovering the molecular mechanisms that, when disrupted, can lead to tumor formation.We are using the Drosophila embryonic and larval nervous systems as models to study the regulation of symmetric and asym-metric stem cell division.
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