MsSOCS  expression indicates a potential role for   JAK/STAT signalling in the early stages of   Manduca   sexta   spermatogenesis.
Our understanding of the Drosophila melanogaster testis stem cell niche has identified the signalling pathways required to maintain stem cells and promote self-renewal. Here we present the first detailed examination of the testes stem cell niche in the lepidopteran Manduca sexta . We show that larval testes contain hub-like structures surrounded by mitotically active cells likely to represent a self-renewing stem cell population. In addition, we have cloned DNA fragments encoding parts of M. sexta Signal Transducer and Activators of Transcription (STAT) and Suppressor of Cytokine Signalling (SOCS) homologues and show that expression of MsSOCS is upregulated in hub-adjacent cells. Given the conservation of socs-like genes and their regulation as Janus Kinases/Signal Transducer and Activators Transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway targets, we suggest that increased expression within the testis stem cells indicates increased levels of JAK/STAT signalling and a conserved role for pathway signalling in testis stem cell maintenance.
Elliott
G C
GC
MRC Centre of Developmental and Biomedical Genetics, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, S10 2TN, UK.
Zeidler
M P
MP
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017344:Genes, Insect; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D053612:Janus Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D007814:Larva / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D018402:Manduca / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011679:Pupa / Q000166:cytology; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D050826:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology
D019476:Insect Proteins; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; D050826:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins; D053612:Janus Kinases