Zhao H, Li Z, Kong R, Shi L, Ma R, Ren X, Li Z. Novel intrinsic factor Yun maintains female germline stem cell fate through Thickveins.
Stem Cell Reports 2022;
17:1914-1923. [PMID:
35985332 PMCID:
PMC9481913 DOI:
10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.07.014]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Germline stem cells (GSCs) are critical for the reproduction of an organism. The self-renewal and differentiation of GSCs must be tightly controlled to avoid uncontrolled stem cell proliferation or premature stem cell differentiation. However, how the self-renewal and differentiation of GSCs are properly controlled is not fully understood. Here, we find that the novel intrinsic factor Yun is required for female GSC maintenance in Drosophila. GSCs undergo precocious differentiation due to de-repression of differentiation factor Bam by defective BMP/Dpp signaling in the absence of yun. Mechanistically, Yun associates with and stabilizes Thickveins (Tkv), the type I receptor of Dpp/BMP signaling. Finally, ectopic expression of a constitutively active Tkv (TkvQD) completely suppresses GSC loss caused by yun depletion. Collectively, these data demonstrate that Yun functions through Tkv to maintain GSC fate. Our results provide new insight into the regulatory mechanisms of how stem cell maintenance is properly controlled.
Novel intrinsic factor Yun is required for female GSC maintenance
Yun-defective GSCs undergo differentiation due to Bam upregulation
Yun associates with and stabilizes Tkv to regulate GSC maintenance
GSC loss in the absence of yun could be rescued by constitutively active Tkv
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