04
Asymmetric division events promote variability in cell cycle duration in animal cells and E. coli
Variations in cell cycle duration between cells occur naturally but the mechanisms are largely unknown. A recent publication by the Kroschewski group in Nature Communications shows that large differences in granddaughter cell cycle duration are also driven by asymmetric divisions.
Modulation of asymmetric cell division as a mechanism to boost CD8+ T cell memory
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes, when activated, generate progenies with different fates. Asymmetric cell division (ACD) is a mechanism that contributes to this process. A recent paper by the Oxenius group (IMB) identifies ACD being restricted to T cells endowed with "stemness" (i.e. naïve and memory cells that retain their ability to generate offspring with heterogeneous fates) and establishes interventions that increase ACD and consequently enhance divergent fate decisions.
The interplay between Salmonella Typhimurium and the intestinal mucosa during oral infection
Intestinal pathogens are an important tool to study the mucosal immune system and to understand how pathogens are differentiated from members of the commensal microbiota. The dynamic interaction between the pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium and its host is discussed in detail in a review in "Microbiology Spectrum" by Annika Hausmann and Wolf-Dietrich Hardt.