Cycling in the Cell Fate Landscape.

The causal relationship between the cell cycle and cell fate has recently been reconsidered in several developmental systems, now including sex determination. Direct links between cell cycle machinery and developmental factors demonstrate how modulating the cell cycle can have a profound influence on cellular decisions, through phenomena largely divided into phase-specific interactions seen as "priming" and "competence," or global changes in transcription or histone modifications during transitions. This integration challenges the common view of cell fate landscapes.