title: Stage-specific differences in the requirements for germline stem cell maintenance in the Drosophila ovary.
abstract: In this study, we uncover a role for microRNAs in Drosophila germline stem cell (GSC) maintenance. Disruption of Dicer-1 function in GSCs during adult life results in GSC loss. Surprisingly, however, loss of Dicer-1 during development does not result in a GSC maintenance defect, although a defect is seen if both Dicer-1 and Dicer-2 function are disrupted. Loss of the bantam microRNA mimics the Dicer-1 maintenance defect when induced in adult GSCs, suggesting that bantam plays a key role in GSC self-renewal. Mad, a component of the TGF-beta pathway, behaves similarly to Dicer-1: adult GSC maintenance requires Mad if it is lost during adult life, but not if it is lost during pupal development. Overall, these results show stage-specific differential sensitivity of GSC maintenance to certain perturbations, and suggest that there may be Dcr-2 dependent redundancy of GSC maintenance mechanisms during development that is lost in later life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Halyna R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Shcherbata
authors.forename: Ellen J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Karin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Jenn-Yah
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Steven H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: Chun-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Peizhang
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.forename: Hannele
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ruohola-Baker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D016193:G1 Phase; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010053:Ovary / Q000166:cytology*; D020365:RNA Helicases / Q000235:genetics*; D043244:Ribonuclease III; D016196:S Phase; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D035683:MicroRNAs; C515033:Dcr-1 protein, Drosophila; D043244:Ribonuclease III; D020365:RNA Helicases