Coordination of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation: Finding a GEM in the Root?

How cells acquire specific fates in conjunction with cell division is a major developmental question. In a recent issue of Nature, Caro and colleagues describe the Arabidopsis protein GEM, which interacts both with DNA-replication and transcriptional regulators (). The results are surprisingly reminiscent of the dual functions reported for Geminin in animals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]