Asymmetric division of Drosophila neuroblasts. Schematic description for a polarized mother cell during anaphase. Asymmetric division of Drosophila neuroblasts produces larger neuroblasts and smaller ganglion mother cells (GMCs) (left panel). The middle panel shows the asymmetric distribution of polarity proteins at the apical and basal cortex and the asymmetry of the spindle. The light-blue box highlights evolutionarily conserved apical complexes that are important for polarity establishment and spindle positioning in these two systems. In the apical cortex, the Cdc42/Par3/Par6/aPKC complex is linked with the Gαi/Pins/Mud complex by Inscuteable. Mud recruit’s dynein-dynactin activity to capture and pull astral microtubules, whereas Pin recruits’ kinesin Khc73 via Dlg to bind with astral microtubules. Phosphorylation of Par6 by Aurora-A plays an important role in regulating aPKC to induce fate-determining proteins, such as Brat, Prospero, Staufen, and NUMB, to the basement membrane and future GMCs. Miranda is an adapter protein for some basic proteins.
