Cell cycle and cell fate in the developing nervous system: the role of CDC25B phosphatase

Deciphering the core machinery of the cell cycle and cell division has been primarily the focus of cell biologists, while developmental biologists have identified the signaling pathways and transcriptional programs controlling cell fate choices. As a result, until recently, the interplay between these two fundamental aspects of biology have remained largely unexplored. Increasing data show that the cell cycle and regulators of the core cell cycle machinery are important players in cell fate decisions during neurogenesis. Here, we summarize recent data describing how cell cycle dynamics affect the switch between proliferation and differentiation, with an emphasis on the roles played by the cell cycle regulators, the CDC25 phosphatases.