Rab11 maintains the undifferentiated state of adult midgut precursors via DPP pathway

Akanksha Pandey; Jagat Kumar Roy

doi:10.1016/j.yexcr.2024.114092

Rab11 maintains the undifferentiated state of adult midgut precursors via DPP pathway

Exp Cell Res. 2024 May 14;439(1):114092. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2024.114092. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Akanksha Pandey¹, Jagat Kumar Roy²

Affiliations

¹ Cytogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India.
² Cytogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India. Electronic address: jkroy@bhu.ac.in.

PMID: 38754617
DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2024.114092

Abstract

Asymmetric stem cell divisions play instrumental roles in the maintenance, growth and differentiation of organs. Failure of asymmetric stem cell divisions may result in an array of developmental disorders, including cancer. It is well established that the gene, inscuteable, acts as the upstream component of asymmetric cell divisions. In Drosophila larval midgut, a founder adult midgut precursor (AMP) experiences an asymmetric division to instruct its first daughter to become a peripheral cell that serves as a niche where the AMP and its future daughters can remain undifferentiated. The present study demonstrates that inscuteable expressing stem cells require Rab11, a conserved small Ras-like GTPase, for proper proliferation and differentiation. As insc-GAL4 mediated Rab11RNAi in Drosophila larval and adult midguts show the disruption of the niche microenvironment of adult midgut precursors as well as elevated DPP signalling at the larval stage, which is associated with aberrant over-proliferation and early differentiation of larval AMPs and adult intestinal stem cells. The observed connections between Rab11, larval AMP proliferation, niche establishment, and DPP signalling highlight the potential for Rab11 to serve as a key regulatory factor in maintaining tissue homeostasis and balanced cellular growth.

Keywords: AMPs; DPP; Drosophila; ISCs; Midgut; Rab11.