Phase Separation and Mechanical Forces in Regulating Asymmetric Cell Division of Neural Stem Cells

Zhang, Yiqing; Wei, Heyang; Wen, Wenyu

doi:10.3390/ijms221910267

Open AccessReview

Phase Separation and Mechanical Forces in Regulating Asymmetric Cell Division of Neural Stem Cells

by

Yiqing Zhang

^†,

Heyang Wei

^† and

Wenyu Wen

^*

Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(19), 10267; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910267

Submission received: 1 September 2021 / Revised: 20 September 2021 / Accepted: 21 September 2021 / Published: 24 September 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Asymmetric Cell Division in Neural Development and Disease)

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Abstract

Asymmetric cell division (ACD) of neural stem cells and progenitors not only renews the stem cell population but also ensures the normal development of the nervous system, producing various types of neurons with different shapes and functions in the brain. One major mechanism to achieve ACD is the asymmetric localization and uneven segregation of intracellular proteins and organelles into sibling cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) provides a potential mechanism for the formation of membrane-less biomolecular condensates that are asymmetrically distributed on limited membrane regions. Moreover, mechanical forces have emerged as pivotal regulators of asymmetric neural stem cell division by generating sibling cell size asymmetry. In this review, we will summarize recent discoveries of ACD mechanisms driven by LLPS and mechanical forces.

Keywords: asymmetric cell division; mechanical force; myosin flow; neural stem cell; phase separation; polarity cue

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, Y.; Wei, H.; Wen, W. Phase Separation and Mechanical Forces in Regulating Asymmetric Cell Division of Neural Stem Cells. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 10267. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910267

AMA Style

Zhang Y, Wei H, Wen W. Phase Separation and Mechanical Forces in Regulating Asymmetric Cell Division of Neural Stem Cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(19):10267. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910267

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Yiqing, Heyang Wei, and Wenyu Wen. 2021. "Phase Separation and Mechanical Forces in Regulating Asymmetric Cell Division of Neural Stem Cells" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22, no. 19: 10267. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910267

APA Style

Zhang, Y., Wei, H., & Wen, W. (2021). Phase Separation and Mechanical Forces in Regulating Asymmetric Cell Division of Neural Stem Cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(19), 10267. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910267

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Phase Separation and Mechanical Forces in Regulating Asymmetric Cell Division of Neural Stem Cells

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