Interorgan regulation of Drosophila intestinal stem cell proliferation by a hybrid organ boundary zone.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

The molecular identities and regulation of cells at interorgan boundaries are often unclear, despite the increasingly appreciated role of organ boundaries in disease. Using Drosophila as a model, we here show that a specific population of adult midgut organ-boundary intestinal stem cells (OB-ISCs) is regulated by the neighboring hindgut, a developmentally distinct organ. This distinct OB-ISC control occurs through proximity to a specialized transition zone between the endodermal midgut and ectodermal hindgut that shares molecular signatures of both organs, which we term the hybrid zone (HZ). During homeostasis, proximity to the HZ restrains OB-ISC proliferation. However, injury to the adult HZ/hindgut drives upregulation of unpaired-3 cytokine, which signals through a Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) protein to promote cell division only in OB-ISCs. If HZ disruption is severe, hyperplastic OB-ISCs expand across the interorgan boundary. Our data suggest that interorgan signaling plays an important role in controlling OB-ISCs in homeostasis and injury repair, which is likely to be crucial in prevention of disease.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Sawyer, JK; Cohen, E; Fox, DT

Published Date

  • November 15, 2017

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 144 / 22

Start / End Page

  • 4091 - 4102

PubMed ID

  • 28947534

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC5719245

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1477-9129

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1242/dev.153114

Language

  • eng

Conference Location

  • England