Scientists probe mechanism of asymmetry in meiotic cell division

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - 13:42 in Biology & Nature

The Stowers Institute's Rong Li Lab has characterized a mechanism that allows for asymmetrical cell division during meiosis in oocytes. By tracking chromosome movement in live mouse oocytes, the team discovered that chromosomes can recruit to their vicinity a protein called formin-2. This protein allows the oocyte to retain the majority of the cytoplasm - a requirement for embryonic development after fertilization - while the other daughter cell (called a polar body) resulting from the asymmetric division gets only a minimal amount and subsequently dies.

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