How An Enzyme Tells Stem Cells Which Way To Divide: “Driving Miranda, a protein in fruit flies crucial to switch a stem cell’s fate, is not as complex as biologists thought, according to University of Oregon biochemists. They’ve found that one enzyme (aPKC) stands alone and acts as a traffic cop that directs which roads daughter cells will take.”
aPKC is shown in green at the top half of a fruit fly neuroblast. Miranda, in blue, has been driven away to the opposite side. Upon division, the top half will remain a stem cell, while the bottom will become a differentiated cell. (Credit: Courtesy of Kenneth Prehoda) Click for the story at ScienceDaily
