Multicellular Organization Laboratory
What is asymmetric division?
When two cells (daughter cells) produced by a single cell (mother cell) have distinct fates, the division is asymmetric.
For example, the division is asymmetric, when the daughter cells are different in size. (Unequal division)
Even if daughter cells are morphologically undistinguishable, the division is asymmetric if they subsequently produce distinct cell types.
Stem cells are considered to divide asymmetrically to produce stem cell daughter and differentiated daughter. (Self-renewing division)
To study asymmetric division, we need to know which two cells are daughters of a single mother cell and what types of progenies they subsequently produce. Therefore, it is not easy to study asymmetric division in higher animals, because cell lineages are difficult to be determined.
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