LIS1 and Spindle Orientation in Neuroepithelial Cells

Asymmetric stem cell division is thought to require precise orientation of the mitotic spindle. However, a recent study in Cell (Yingling et al., 2008) analyzes the role of LIS1 in the developing mouse brain and shows that spindle orientation is more important during early, symmetric progenitor cell divisions than for later asymmetric divisions