Cortical domains and the mechanisms of asymmetric cell division

Asymmetric cell divisions are central to the generation of cell-fate diversity because factors that are present in a mother cell and distributed unequally at cell division can generate distinct daughters. The process of asymmetric cell division can be described as consisting of three steps: setting up an asymmetric nle in the mother cell, localizing factors with respect to this cue, and positioning the plane of cell division so that localized factors are partitioned assymetrically between daughters. This review describes how specialized cortical domains play a key role in each of these steps and discusses our current understanding of the molecular nature of cortical domains and the mechanisms by which they may orchestrate asymmetric cell divisions.