title: Evidence for chromatin-remodeling complex PBAP-controlled maintenance of the Drosophila ovarian germline stem cells.
abstract: In the Drosophila oogenesis, germline stem cells (GSCs) continuously self-renew and differentiate into daughter cells for consecutive germline lineage commitment. This developmental process has become an in vivo working platform for studying adult stem cell fate regulation. An increasing number of studies have shown that while concerted actions of extrinsic signals from the niche and intrinsic regulatory machineries control GSC self-renewal and germline differentiation, epigenetic regulation is implicated in the process. Here, we report that Brahma (Brm), the ATPase subunit of the Drosophila SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes, is required for maintaining GSC fate. Removal or knockdown of Brm function in either germline or niche cells causes a GSC loss, but does not disrupt normal germline differentiation within the germarium evidenced at the molecular and morphological levels. There are two Drosophila SWI/SNF complexes: the Brm-associated protein (BAP) complex and the polybromo-containing BAP (PBAP) complex. More genetic studies reveal that mutations in polybromo/bap180, rather than gene encoding Osa, the BAP complex-specific subunit, elicit a defect in GSC maintenance reminiscent of the brm mutant phenotype. Further genetic interaction test suggests a functional association between brm and polybromo in controlling GSC self-renewal. Taken together, studies in this paper provide the first demonstration that Brm in the form of the PBAP complex functions in the GSC fate regulation.
authors: School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P R China.
authors: Jie
authors: J
authors: He
authors: School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P R China; School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P R China.
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Xuan
authors: School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P R China.
authors: Tianchi
authors: T
authors: Xin
authors: School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P R China.
authors: Hongbo
authors: H
authors: An
authors: School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P R China.
authors: Jinye
authors: J
authors: Wang
authors: School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P R China.
authors: Gengchun
authors: G
authors: Zhao
authors: School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P R China.
authors: Mingfa
authors: M
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009154:Mutation; D010053:Ovary / Q000166:cytology; D010063:Ovum / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D034622:RNA Interference; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C445179:SWI-SNF-B chromatin-remodeling complex; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C086469:brm protein, Drosophila; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins