Numb and Neural Development

Abstract: Asymmetric cell division is a process that one mother cell generates two daughter cells with distinct cell fates， which is a crucial step in evolution from single-cell organism to multi-cellular organism. Based on the current evidence， it is presumed that asymmetric cell division is one of fundamental means in generating cell type diversity during organogenesis. Numb is the first signaling molecules found to determine asymmetric cell division in multi-cellular organisms. Numb promotes the ubiquination of Notch to antagonize Notch signaling pathway in determining cell fates in Drosophila external sensory organ， subsequently found to function as endocytic protein participating in the regulation of neurite extension and cell migration. Recently it has been reported that Numb forms a trimer with p53 and HDM2 to prevent p53 from being ubiquinated to regulate the malignancy of tumor cell. In this article， we have comprehensively reviewed the discovery history of Numb and subsequent findings of Numb function in vertebrate system.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2010.01.0001