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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
12:03
Phenotypic Analysis and Isolation of Murine Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Lineage-committed Progenitors
Published on: July 8, 2012
Asymmetric division and stem cell renewal without a permanent niche: lessons from lymphocytes
1Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology
|November 22, 2008
Summary
Asymmetric cell division enables lymphocytes to regenerate and maintain immunity. This strategy, where one cell divides into two different daughter cells, may also apply to blood and cancer stem cells.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Tissues rely on stem cells for regeneration, balancing differentiation and self-renewal.
- Lymphocytes require regeneration to sustain immunity after infection.
- Asymmetric cell division is an evolutionarily conserved strategy for generating cell diversity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of asymmetric cell division in lymphocyte regeneration and immunity.
- To propose that mobile, nonadherent cells utilize microenvironmental interactions for asymmetric division.
Main Methods:
- Review of emerging evidence on lymphocyte cell fate determination.
- Analysis of conserved strategies for generating cell diversity.
- Hypothesizing mechanisms for asymmetric division in mobile stem cells.
Main Results:
- Lymphocytes use facultative cell interactions to achieve asymmetric cell division.
- Unequal segregation of fate determinants drives divergent cell fates in lymphocytes.
- Asymmetric division is crucial for maintaining immune memory and regeneration.
Conclusions:
- Asymmetric cell division is a key mechanism for lymphocyte regeneration and immune maintenance.
- Mobile and nonadherent cells, including blood and cancer stem cells, may use their microenvironment to achieve asymmetric division.
- This conserved strategy promotes cellular diversity essential for tissue homeostasis and adaptive responses.
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