Components of the SWI/SNF complex are required for asymmetric cell division in C. elegans
Sawa H, Kouike H and Okano H
Mol Cell 6(3):617-24 (2000)
SUMMARY
Asymmetric cell division is a fundamental process that produces cellular diversity during development. We have identified two mutants in C. elegans (psa-1 and psa-4) in which the asymmetry of T cell division is disrupted. psa-1 and psa-4 encode homologs of yeast SWI3 and SWI2/SNF2, respectively, which are components of the SWI/SNF complex. We show by RNA interference assay that homologs of other components of SWI/SNF are also involved in T cell division. psa-1 and psa-4 are likely to be required in the T cell during mitosis to cause asymmetric cell division. Because the SWI/SNF complex is required for asymmetric division in S. cerevisiae, these results demonstrate that at least some aspects of the mechanism of asymmetric cell division are conserved between yeast and a multicellular organism.
LINK
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=11030341