Somatic CG6015 mediates cyst stem cell maintenance and germline stem cell differentiation via EGFR signaling in Drosophila testes

Abstract

AbstractStem cell niche is regulated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In theDrosophilatestis, cyst stem cells (CySCs) support the differentiation of germline stem cells (GSCs). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we found that somatic CG6015 is required for CySC maintenance and GSC differentiation in aDrosophilamodel. Knockdown ofCG6015in CySCs caused aberrant activation of dpERK in undifferentiated germ cells in theDrosophilatestis, and disruption of key downstream targets of EGFR signaling (Dsor1 and rl) in CySCs results in a phenotype resembling that of CG6015 knockdown. CG6015, Dsor1, and rl are essential for the survival ofDrosophilacell line Schneider 2 (S2) cells. Our data showed that somatic CG6015 regulates CySC maintenance and GSC differentiation via EGFR signaling, and inhibits aberrant activation of germline dpERK signals. These findings indicate regulatory mechanisms of stem cell niche homeostasis in theDrosophilatestis.