Journal
BIOLOGY OPEN
Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
COMPANY BIOLOGISTS LTD
DOI: 10.1242/bio.039842
Keywords
Germline stem cells; Escort cells; Drosophila; Egfr; Germarium
Categories
Funding
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)-Israel Ministry of Science and Technology (IMOS) Foundation [GR2536]
- National Human Genome Research Institute at the U.S. National Institutes of Health [U41HG000739]
- British Medical Research Council [MR/N030117/1]
- Indiana Genomics Initiative
- Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health [P40OD018537]
- NIH ICs OD
- NICHD
- NIGMS
- NINDS
- MRC [MR/N030117/1] Funding Source: UKRI
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Differentiation of germline stem cells (GSCs) in the Drosophila ovary is induced by somatic escort cells (ECs), which extend membrane protrusions encapsulating the germline cells (GCs). Germline encapsulation requires activated epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr) signaling within the ECs, following secretion of its ligands from the GCs. We show that the conserved family of irre cell recognition module (IRM) proteins is essential for GC encapsulation by ECs, with a requirement for roughest (rst) and kin of irre (kirre) in the germline and for sticks and stones (sns) and hibris (hbs) in ECs. In the absence of IRM components in their respective cell types, EC extensions are reduced concomitantly with a decrease in Egfr signaling in these cells. Reintroducing either activated Egfr in the ECs, or overexpressing its ligand Spitz (Spi) from the germline, rescued the requirement for IRM proteins in both cell types. These experiments introduce novel essential components, the IRM proteins, into the process of inductive interactions between GCs and ECs, and imply that IRM-mediated activity is required upstream of the Egfr signaling.
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