, 2005). Thus, much like mammalian astrocytes, Drosophila stellate glial cells perform a number of the functions that define a niche, and they control the proliferation of neural stem cells ( Chell and Brand, 2010 and Morrison and Spradling, 2008). In the nervous system, stem cells can divide symmetrically to generate daughter cells with similar fates, or asymmetrically, to self-renew while also producing differentiating daughter cells (Alvarez-Buylla et al., 2001 and Temple, 2001). The proper balance between symmetric and asymmetric stem

cell division is crucial both to maintain a population of stem cells and to prevent tumorous overgrowth. A body of recent work in vertebrates and invertebrates has highlighted the complexity of the mechanisms that regulate the balance between learn more division types, ranging from well-known Everolimus mouse intercellular signaling pathways, such as Notch, to cell-cycle regulators and organelles such as the centrosome. In the optic lobe of the developing Drosophila brain, symmetrically dividing neuroepithelial cells generate asymmetrically dividing neuroblasts, which produce the differentiated neurons that will make up the visual processing center of the brain

( Figure 2) ( Ceron et al., 2001, Egger et al., 2007, Egger et al., 2011 and Hofbauer and Campos-Ortega, 1990). A comparison of the transcriptional profiles of neuroepithelial cells and

neuroblasts revealed that genes in the Notch signaling pathway are preferentially expressed in neuroepithelial cells ( Egger et al., 2010). Notch is required to maintain cells dividing symmetrically in the optic lobe neuroepithelium and prevent their switch to a neuroblast fate. Cells PAK6 lacking Notch are extruded from the neuroepithelium and prematurely express the neuroblast-specific Hes family transcription factor, Deadpan (Dpn) ( Egger et al., 2010, Ngo et al., 2010, Orihara-Ono et al., 2011, Reddy et al., 2010, Wang et al., 2011 and Yasugi et al., 2010). Inhibition of Notch also leads to premature differentiation in the mouse cerebral cortex where the maintenance of neural progenitors relies on oscillations in the expression of Notch target genes, such as Hes1, the ligand Delta-like1 (Dll1), and the proneural transcription factor Neurogenin2 (Ngn2) (Aguirre et al., 2010 and Shimojo et al., 2008). Inhibition of Notch signaling leads to sustained expression of Dll1 and Ngn2 and to premature neurogenesis. Interestingly, high levels of Delta are found in the optic lobe at the transition zone separating the neuroepithelium from neuroblasts, where the levels of Notch are correspondingly reduced (Egger et al., 2010, Ngo et al., 2010, Orihara-Ono et al., 2011, Reddy et al., 2010, Wang et al., 2011 and Yasugi et al., 2010).