Asymmetric Cell Division and Tumor Heterogeneity

Overview

Journal Front Cell Dev Biol

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2022 Jul 21

PMID 35859890

Authors

Zizhu Li

Ying Yi Zhang

Haomiao Zhang

Jiaxuan Yang

Yongze Chen

Hezhe Lu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Asymmetric cell division (ACD) gives rise to two daughter cells with different fates after mitosis and is a fundamental process for generating cell diversity and for the maintenance of the stem cell population. The cancer stem cell (CSC) theory suggests that CSCs with dysregulated self-renewal and asymmetric cell division serve as a source of intra-tumoral heterogeneity. This heterogeneity complicates the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients, because CSCs can give rise to aggressive clones that are metastatic and insensitive to multiple drugs, or to dormant tumor cells that are difficult to detect. Here, we review the regulatory mechanisms and biological significance of asymmetric division in tumor cells, with a focus on ACD-induced tumor heterogeneity in early tumorigenesis and cancer progression. We will also discuss how dissecting the relationship between ACD and cancer may help us find new approaches for combatting this heterogeneity.

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