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Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Author Spotlight: Investigating Asymmetric Cell Division Dynamics: A Protocol for Live-Imaging of Drosophila Larval Brain Explants
Published on: June 23, 2023
PCM1 coordinates centrosome asymmetry with polarized endosome dynamics to regulate daughter cell fate
Xiang Zhao1,2, Vincent Mouilleau3, Yiqi Wang4
1Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Programs in Biological Sciences and Quantitative Biosciences, Institute of Human Genetics, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, Bakar Aging Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA. xiang.zhao@czbiohub.org.
Abstract:
Vertebrate radial glia progenitors (RGPs) balance self-renewal and differentiation through asymmetric cell division (ACD), which involves unequal centrosome inheritance. How centrosome asymmetry directs cell fate remains poorly understood. Here, we identify Pericentriolar material 1 (Pcm1) as a key player in this process. In zebrafish embryonic RGPs, Pcm1 is asymmetrically associated with Cep83, a mother centrosome marker. Using in vivo time-lapse imaging and nanoscale-resolution expansion microscopy, we detect Pcm1 on Notch ligand-containing endosomes, where it interacts-either directly or indirectly-with Par-3 and dynein. Loss of pcm1 disrupts endosome dynamics, increasing neuronal differentiation at the expense of RGP self-renewal. Mechanistically, Pcm1 facilitates the transition from Rab5b to Rab11a and promotes the assembly of Par-3 and dynein macromolecular complexes on recycling endosomes. Furthermore, we find conserved PARD3-PCM1-CEP83-RAB11 associations in human cortical brain organoids. Our findings uncover that Pcm1 links centrosome asymmetry to polarized endosome trafficking, thereby regulating RGP fate decisions.
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