Journal
DEVELOPMENT
Volume 145, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
COMPANY BIOLOGISTS LTD
DOI: 10.1242/dev.158527
Keywords
Drosophila; Wnt signaling; Germline stem cells; Oogenesis
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R03 HD074834, R01 GM117899]
- EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT [R03HD074834] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES [R01GM084947, R01GM117899] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Stem cells reside in a niche, a local environment whose cellular and molecular complexity is still being elucidated. In Drosophila ovaries, germline stem cells depend on cap cells for self-renewing signals and physical attachment. Germline stem cells also contact the anterior escort cells, and here we report that anterior escort cells are absolutely required for germline stem cell maintenance. When escort cells die from impaired Wnt signaling or hid expression, the loss of anterior escort cells causes loss of germline stem cells. Anterior escort cells function as an integral niche component by promoting DE-cadherin anchorage and by transiently expressing the Dpp ligand to promote full-strength BMP signaling in germline stem cells. Anterior escort cells are maintained by Wnt6 ligands produced by cap cells; without Wnt6 signaling, anterior escort cells die leaving vacancies in the niche, leading to loss of germline stem cells. Our data identify anterior escort cells as constituents of the germline stem cell niche, maintained by a cap cell-produced Wnt6 survival signal.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available