Regulation of germline stem cell proliferation downstream of nutrient sensing.
Stem cells have recently attracted significant attention largely due to their potential therapeutic properties, but also because of their role in tumorigenesis and their resemblance, in many aspects, to cancerous cells. Understanding how stem cells are regulated, namely with respect to the control of their proliferation and differentiation within a functional organism, is thus primordial to safely profit from their therapeutic benefits. Here, we review recent advances in the understanding of germline stem cell proliferation control by factors that respond to the nutritional status and/or insulin signaling, through studies performed in C. elegans and Drosophila. Together, these data uncover some shared fundamental features that underlie the central control of cellular proliferation within a target stem cell population in an organism. These features may indeed be conserved in higher organisms and may apply to various other stem cell populations.
Narbonne
Patrick
P
McGill University, Department of Biology, 1205 Dr, Penfield Ave, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1B1, Canada. patrick.narbonne@mail.mcgill.ca
Roy
Richard
R