Research team reveals molecular program that controls cells` capacity for division
(PHYSorg.com Biology)

Cells in the body proliferate at different rates. Some divide constantly and throughout life, like the ones that line the gut. Others divide only rarely, sometimes resting for several years in a non-dividing state. Now, a study led by scientists at MIT`s Whitehead Institute sheds light on the molecular mechanisms that help control this cellular hibernation, termed quiescence, revealing how cells can purposefully choose to retain the capacity to divide. The team`s findings, which appeared online Aug. 15 in the journal Developmental Cell, hold significance for understanding not just cell division and cell state, but also the dynamics of the cellular machinery that supports these processes, including a group of proteins at a critical structure called the centromere that ensure that chromosomes are properly inherited every time a cell divides.