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Notch signalling in development: on equivalence groups and asymmetric developmental potential
1Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, CNRS/INSERM/ULP, Illkirch, France. psimpson@igbmc.u-strasbg.fr
Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
|August 1, 1997
Summary
Cell fate decisions, like the epidermal-neural choice in Drosophila, utilize Notch-mediated lateral signaling. This process can be random, biased by external signals, or predetermined, with stochastic outcomes likely being evolutionarily older.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell signaling
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Notch-mediated lateral signaling governs cell fate decisions between equivalent cells.
- The epidermal-neural choice in Drosophila neuro-ectoderm exemplifies this process.
- Cell fate determination can be influenced by stochasticity, extrinsic signals, or predetermination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the mechanisms and evolutionary origins of cell fate decisions.
- To understand the role of Notch signaling in binary cell fate choices.
- To investigate the balance between stochasticity and determinism in developmental processes.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cell-cell communication pathways.
- Investigating genetic and molecular mechanisms of fate determination.
- Comparative evolutionary analysis of signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Notch signaling facilitates alternative cell fate adoption between equipotent cells.
- The epidermal-neural fate choice in Drosophila is a model system for studying lateral inhibition.
- Stochastic outcomes in cell fate decisions are proposed to be evolutionarily conserved.
Conclusions:
- Lateral signaling pathways, like Notch, are fundamental for generating cellular diversity.
- The evolutionary trajectory suggests stochastic mechanisms for cell fate decisions precede biased or predetermined ones.