ABL1 joins the cadre of spindle orientation machinery

Directing the axis of cell division toward extrinsic and intrinsic cues plays a fundamental role in morphogenesis, asymmetric cell division, and stem cell self-renewal. Recent studies highlight the misorientation of the cell division axis as a cause of mammalian diseases, including polycystic kidney disease. Although the core regulators for oriented cell division have been identified in invertebrate model systems, we still have an imprecise picture of the relevant signaling networks in the mammalian system. The reasons for this include the lack of established approaches in mammalian cells to survey the molecules required for the spindle orientation. Here we summarize our recent study on a genome-scale RNA-mediated interference screen of human kinases to identify a new player for the oriented cell division in both culture cells and developing mammalian tissues.