scholarly journals Drosophila Boi limits Hedgehog levels to suppress follicle stem cell proliferation

2010 ◽  
Vol 191 (5) ◽  
pp. 943-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffiney R. Hartman ◽  
Daniel Zinshteyn ◽  
Heather K. Schofield ◽  
Emmanuelle Nicolas ◽  
Ami Okada ◽  
...  

Stem cells depend on signals from cells within their microenvironment, or niche, as well as factors secreted by distant cells to regulate their maintenance and function. Here we show that Boi, a Hedgehog (Hh)-binding protein, is a novel suppressor of proliferation of follicle stem cells (FSCs) in the Drosophila ovary. Hh is expressed in apical cells, distant from the FSC niche, and diffuses to reach FSCs, where it promotes FSC proliferation. We show that Boi is expressed in apical cells and exerts its suppressive effect on FSC proliferation by binding to and sequestering Hh on the apical cell surface, thereby inhibiting Hh diffusion. Our studies demonstrate that cells distant from the local niche can regulate stem cell function through ligand sequestration, a mechanism that likely is conserved in other epithelial tissues.

2008 ◽  
Vol 182 (4) ◽  
pp. 801-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alana M. O'Reilly ◽  
Hsiu-Hsiang Lee ◽  
Michael A. Simon

Adult stem cells are maintained in specialized microenvironments called niches, which promote self-renewal and prevent differentiation. In this study, we show that follicle stem cells (FSCs) in the Drosophila melanogaster ovary rely on cues that are distinct from those of other ovarian stem cells to establish and maintain their unique niche. We demonstrate that integrins anchor FSCs to the basal lamina, enabling FSCs to maintain their characteristic morphology and position. Integrin-mediated FSC anchoring is also essential for proper development of differentiating prefollicle cells that arise from asymmetrical FSC divisions. Our results support a model in which FSCs contribute to the formation and maintenance of their own niche by producing the integrin ligand, laminin A (LanA). Together, LanA and integrins control FSC proliferation rates, a role that is separable from their function in FSC anchoring. Importantly, LanA-integrin function is not required to maintain other ovarian stem cell populations, demonstrating that distinct pathways regulate niche–stem cell communication within the same organ.


eLife ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Castanieto ◽  
Michael J Johnston ◽  
Todd G Nystul

Epithelial stem cells divide asymmetrically, such that one daughter replenishes the stem cell pool and the other differentiates. We found that, in the epithelial follicle stem cell (FSC) lineage of the Drosophila ovary, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling functions specifically in the FSCs to promote the unique partially polarized state of the FSC, establish apical–basal polarity throughout the lineage, and promote FSC maintenance in the niche. In addition, we identified a novel connection between EGFR signaling and the cell-polarity regulator liver kinase B1 (LKB1), which indicates that EGFR signals through both the Ras–Raf–MEK–Erk pathway and through the LKB1–AMPK pathway to suppress apical identity. The development of apical–basal polarity is the earliest visible difference between FSCs and their daughters, and our findings demonstrate that the EGFR-mediated regulation of apical–basal polarity is essential for the segregation of stem cell and daughter cell fates.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kalderon ◽  
David Melamed ◽  
Amy Reilein

A paper by Reilein et al (2017) presented several fundamental new insights into the behavior of adult Follicle Stem Cells (FSCs) in the Drosophila ovary, including evidence that each ovariole hosts a large number of FSCs (14-16) maintained by population asymmetry (Reilein et al., 2017), rather than just two FSCs, dividing with largely individually asymmetric outcomes, as originally proposed (Margolis and Spradling, 1995; Nystul and Spradling, 2007). Fadiga and Nystul (2019) contest some of these conclusions on the basis of their repetition of a multicolor lineage strategy used by Reilein et al (2017) and repetition of earlier single-color lineage analysis. Here we outline a number of shortcomings in the execution and interpretation of those experiments that, in our opinion, undermine their conclusions. The central issue of general relevance concerns the importance of comprehensively analyzing all stem cell lineages, independent of any pre-conceptions, in order to identify all constituents and capture heterogeneous behaviors.


2014 ◽  
Vol 206 (7) ◽  
pp. 923-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxi Wang ◽  
Andrea Page-McCaw

Ligand-based signaling can potentiate communication between neighboring cells and between cells separated by large distances. In the Drosophila melanogaster ovary, Wingless (Wg) promotes proliferation of follicle stem cells located ∼50 µm or five cell diameters away from the Wg source. How Wg traverses this distance is unclear. We find that this long-range signaling requires Division abnormally delayed (Dally)-like (Dlp), a glypican known to extend the range of Wg ligand in the wing disc by binding Wg. Dlp-mediated spreading of Wg to follicle stem cells is opposed by the extracellular protease Mmp2, which cleaved Dlp in cell culture, triggering its relocalization such that Dlp no longer contacted Wg protein. Mmp2-deficient ovaries displayed increased Wg distribution, activity, and stem cell proliferation. Mmp2 protein is expressed in the same cells that produce Wg; thus, niche cells produce both a long-range stem cell proliferation factor and a negative regulator of its spreading. This system could allow for spatial control of Wg signaling to targets at different distances from the source.


Author(s):  
Daniel Kalderon ◽  
David Melamed ◽  
Amy Reilein

SummaryA paper by Reilein et al., (2017) presented several key new insights into the behavior of adult Follicle Stem Cells (FSCs) in the Drosophila ovary, including overwhelming evidence that each ovariole hosts a large number of FSCs (about 14-16) maintained by population asymmetry (Reilein et al., 2017), rather than just two FSCs, dividing with largely individually asymmetric outcomes, as originally proposed (Margolis and Spradling, 1995; Nystul and Spradling, 2007). Here we provide further discussion asserting the merits of the conclusions of Reilein et al., (2017) and the deficiencies in the contrary assertions recently presented by Fadiga and Nystul (Fadiga and Nystul, 2019). The principles that we discuss here, particularly with regard to lineage tracing and population asymmetry, are common to the investigation of most types of adult stem cell and should therefore be instructive and of interest to investigators studying any type of adult stem cell. The improved understanding of FSC numbers, location and behavior afforded by Reilein et al., (2017) and Reilein et al., (2018) can only provide a firm foundation for future progress once they are widely appreciated and seen to be resistant to challenge, as described in detail here.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
Silvia Cristini ◽  
Giulio Alessandri ◽  
Francesco Acerbi ◽  
Daniela Tavian ◽  
Eugenio A. Parati ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
Silvia Cristini ◽  
Giulio Alessandri ◽  
Francesco Acerbi ◽  
Daniela Tavian ◽  
Eugenio A. Parati ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 666
Author(s):  
Toshio Takahashi

Stem cells have extensive proliferative potential and the ability to differentiate into one or more mature cell types. The mechanisms by which stem cells accomplish self-renewal provide fundamental insight into the origin and design of multicellular organisms. These pathways allow the repair of damage and extend organismal life beyond that of component cells, and they probably preceded the evolution of complex metazoans. Understanding the true nature of stem cells can only come from discovering how they are regulated. The concept that stem cells are controlled by particular microenvironments, also known as niches, has been widely accepted. Technical advances now allow characterization of the zones that maintain and control stem cell activity in several organs, including the brain, skin, and gut. Cholinergic neurons release acetylcholine (ACh) that mediates chemical transmission via ACh receptors such as nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. Although the cholinergic system is composed of organized nerve cells, the system is also involved in mammalian non-neuronal cells, including stem cells, embryonic stem cells, epithelial cells, and endothelial cells. Thus, cholinergic signaling plays a pivotal role in controlling their behaviors. Studies regarding this signal are beginning to unify our understanding of stem cell regulation at the cellular and molecular levels, and they are expected to advance efforts to control stem cells therapeutically. The present article reviews recent findings about cholinergic signaling that is essential to control stem cell function in a cholinergic niche.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Romina L. Filippelli ◽  
Natasha C. Chang

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating and debilitating muscle degenerative disease affecting 1 in every 3,500 male births worldwide. DMD is progressive and fatal; accumulated weakening of the muscle tissue leads to an inability to walk and eventual loss of life due to respiratory and cardiac failure. Importantly, there remains no effective cure for DMD. DMD is caused by defective expression of the <i>DMD</i> gene, which encodes for dystrophin, a component of the dystrophin glycoprotein complex. In muscle fibers, this protein complex plays a critical role in maintaining muscle membrane integrity. Emerging studies have shown that muscle stem cells, which are adult stem cells responsible for muscle repair, are also affected in DMD. DMD muscle stem cells do not function as healthy muscle stem cells, and their impairment contributes to disease progression. Deficiencies in muscle stem cell function include impaired establishment of cell polarity leading to defective asymmetric stem cell division, reduced myogenic commitment, impaired differentiation, altered metabolism, and enhanced entry into senescence. Altogether, these findings indicate that DMD muscle stem cells are dysfunctional and have impaired regenerative potential. Although recent advances in adeno-associated vector and antisense oligonucleotide-mediated mechanisms for gene therapy have shown clinical promise, the current therapeutic strategies for muscular dystrophy do not effectively target muscle stem cells and do not address the deficiencies in muscle stem cell function. Here, we discuss the merits of restoring endogenous muscle stem cell function in degenerating muscle as a viable regenerative medicine strategy to mitigate DMD.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1182
Author(s):  
Prince Verma ◽  
Court K. M. Waterbury ◽  
Elizabeth M. Duncan

Tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) are essential for normal cellular function in multicellular organisms, but many TSGs and tumor-suppressing mechanisms remain unknown. Planarian flatworms exhibit particularly robust tumor suppression, yet the specific mechanisms underlying this trait remain unclear. Here, we analyze histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) signal across the planarian genome to determine if the broad H3K4me3 chromatin signature that marks essential cell identity genes and TSGs in mammalian cells is conserved in this valuable model of in vivo stem cell function. We find that this signature is indeed conserved on the planarian genome and that the lysine methyltransferase Set1 is largely responsible for creating it at both cell identity and putative TSG loci. In addition, we show that depletion of set1 in planarians induces stem cell phenotypes that suggest loss of TSG function, including hyperproliferation and an abnormal DNA damage response (DDR). Importantly, this work establishes that Set1 targets specific gene loci in planarian stem cells and marks them with a conserved chromatin signature. Moreover, our data strongly suggest that Set1 activity at these genes has important functional consequences both during normal homeostasis and in response to genotoxic stress.


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