Cells Can Be Divided in Unforeseen Ways

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                <img class="Image" alt="" width="1350" height="900" src="https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg" sizes="(min-width: 1288px) 837px, (min-width: 1024px) calc(57.5vw + 55px), (min-width: 415px) calc(100vw - 40px), calc(70vw + 74px)" srcset="https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=300 300w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=400 400w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=500 500w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=600 600w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=700 700w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=800 800w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=837 837w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=900 900w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1003 1003w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1100 1100w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1300 1300w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1400 1400w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1500 1500w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1600 1600w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1674 1674w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1700 1700w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1800 1800w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=1900 1900w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/01181823/SEI_249575190.jpg?width=2006 2006w" loading="eager" fetchpriority="high" data-image-context="Article" data-image-id="2478846" data-caption="The division of human cells may not exactly align with what’s written in textbooks" data-credit="Iokanan VFX Studios/Shutterstock"/>
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                    <p class="ArticleImageCaption__Title">Inaccuracies in Textbook Descriptions of Human Cell Division</p>
                    <p class="ArticleImageCaption__Credit">Iokanan VFX Studios/Shutterstock</p>
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    <p>Researchers have identified a unique type of cell division that enables cells to store information in a way that determines the identity of their offspring. This discovery is key to advancing tissue engineering techniques and deepening our comprehension of cancer progression.</p>
    <p>Traditionally, it was believed that the majority of cells would curl into a spherical shape prior to division, allowing for an even distribution of contents between the "daughter" cells and ensuring they remain of the same type.</p>
    <p>However, stem cells represent an exception, as they can undergo heterogeneous or asymmetric cell division, yielding two distinct types of cells.</p>
    <p>In a surprising find, <a href="https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/shane.herbert">Schoen Herbert</a> from The University of Manchester, along with his team, observed that non-stem cells in developing zebrafish blood vessels also divide asymmetrically. These endothelial cells migrated to form new vessel branches and divided without adopting a spherical shape, resulting in different cell types.</p>
    <p>By altering the shape of human endothelial cells in laboratory conditions, the team established that a cell's geometry can predict the symmetry of its division. Longer, more slender cells were more likely to divide asymmetrically, indicating that the division process can be influenced by the cell's shape.</p>
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    <p>Herbert illustrated that cells do not lose their structural and behavioral information during this process, suggesting they maintain their form, thereby preserving their "memory." "Often, they retain their shape, enabling them to convey this memory," he stated.</p>
    <p>This phenomenon allows for a simultaneous movement, division, and production of various cell types without disrupting the ongoing cellular processes. Such flexibility supports rapid adjustments to developmental needs, like supplying tissues necessary for expanding blood vessels and nerves.</p>
    <p>The implications of this discovery extend to lab-grown tissues, where generating functional blood vessels is a significant hurdle. "Our challenge is to create a specific environment that allows these cells to achieve the shapes and behaviors necessary for forming functional blood vessels," explains team member <a href="https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/holly.lovegrove">Holly Lovegrove</a> from the University of Manchester. Adjusting cell shapes could pave the way for producing specific cell types, she suggests. Conversely, cancer can spread through the formation of clusters of migrating cells, with these new insights potentially shedding light on that process.</p>
    <p>This research exemplifies how organisms can fine-tune mechanisms like cell rounding to accomplish multiple tasks critical for tissue development. <a href="https://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/group-leaders/a-to-g/buzz-baum/">Buzz Baum</a> from the MRC Institute of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, remarked, "This is a clever method to retain essential information while facilitating network growth by generating more cells."</p>
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Source: www.newscientist.com