title: Transposon Dysregulation Modulates dWnt4 Signaling to Control Germline Stem Cell Differentiation in Drosophila.
abstract: Germline stem cell (GSC) self-renewal and differentiation are required for the sustained production of gametes. GSC differentiation in Drosophila oogenesis requires expression of the histone methyltransferase dSETDB1 by the somatic niche, however its function in this process is unknown. Here, we show that dSETDB1 is required for the expression of a Wnt ligand, Drosophila Wingless type mouse mammary virus integration site number 4 (dWnt4) in the somatic niche. dWnt4 signaling acts on the somatic niche cells to facilitate their encapsulation of the GSC daughter, which serves as a differentiation cue. dSETDB1 is known to repress transposable elements (TEs) to maintain genome integrity. Unexpectedly, we found that independent upregulation of TEs also downregulated dWnt4, leading to GSC differentiation defects. This suggests that dWnt4 expression is sensitive to the presence of TEs. Together our results reveal a chromatin-transposon-Wnt signaling axis that regulates stem cell fate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Maitreyi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Upadhyay
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America.|NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Yesenia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Martino Cortez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: SiuWah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wong-Deyrup
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Leticia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America.|Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schowalter
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Pooja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Flora
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America.|Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mohamad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nasrallah
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America.|CFG Core Facility, University at Albany SUNY, Rensselaer, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Sridar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chittur
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Prashanth
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rangan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D049750:Genome, Insect; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D051153:Wnt Proteins; C454442:Wnt4 protein, Drosophila; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; C519551:egg protein, Drosophila