Article
Engineering, Environmental
Abik Nandi, Debapratim Kar Chowdhuri
Summary: The study revealed that cadmium can alter the number of male GSCs, affecting sperm quantity and reproductive performance, with overexpression of sod showing a rescuing effect. The results emphasize the pivotal role of redox imbalance in Cd-induced male infertility.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Developmental Biology
Velinda Vidaurre, Xin Chen
Summary: The article mainly discusses the regulatory role of epigenetic mechanisms between germ cells and somatic cells on the identity and activity of germline stem cells, introducing the cellular differentiation mechanisms during gametogenesis.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Antje M. Kochendoerfer, Federica Modafferi, Elaine M. Dunleavy
Summary: Recent studies have shown that the distribution of CENP-A at the centromere can bias chromosome segregation in asymmetric cell division, which can affect cell fate in stem cells. These findings support the epigenetic regulation of asymmetric cell division through centromeres.
Article
Cell Biology
Pradeep Kumar Bhaskar, Sheryl Southard, Kelly Baxter, Mark Van Doren
Summary: This study reveals that JAK/STAT signaling promotes male development in germ cells by activating the chromatin reader Phf7, while this signaling pathway is blocked in XX (female) germ cells by the sex determination gene Sex lethal to maintain female development.
Article
Cell Biology
Julien Roy Ishibashi, Riya Keshri, Tommy Henry Taslim, Daniel Kennedy Brewer, Tung Ching Chan, Scott Lyons, Anika Marie McManamen, Ashley Chen, Debra Del Castillo, Hannele Ruohola-Baker
Summary: This study utilized a genetically tractable model for stem cell survival in Drosophila gonads to identify small molecule drug candidates that may sensitize cancer stem cells to apoptosis, uncovering the NF-kappa B pathway as essential in GSC quiescence and viability. The study highlights the potential of the Drosophila stem cell niche as a model system for targeted drug discovery.
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Louis Gervais, Allison J. Bardin
Summary: The vascular system is a crucial regulator of adult stem cells, as demonstrated by two studies showing that the vascular-like Drosophila trachea undergoes reshaping after intestinal damage or tumor formation, which is necessary for compensatory intestinal stem cell proliferation and tumor growth.
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Megan M. Colonnetta, Paul Schedl, Girish Deshpande
Summary: In Drosophila melanogaster embryos, somatic versus germline identity is determined by the zygotic genome activation (ZGA) and maternally deposited germline determinants. Zelda and CLAMP are required for the establishment of the germline/soma distinction.
Article
Cell Biology
Peiwei Chen, Alexei A. Kotov, Baira K. Godneeva, Sergei S. Bazylev, Ludmila Olenina, Alexei A. Aravin
Summary: Small noncoding piRNAs guide repression of complementary targets in Metazoa. Previous studies in fruit fly ovaries have shown the function of the piRNA pathway in transposon silencing and genome defense. In fruit fly testes, piRNA programs exhibit sexual dimorphism and are used differently between sexes to combat sex-specific transposon landscapes.
GENES & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
Ana Caroline P. Gandara, Daniela Drummond-Barbosa
Summary: This study provides an in-depth analysis of how chronic exposure to suboptimal temperatures affects oogenesis in the model insect Drosophila melanogaster. The findings suggest that different temperatures can have varying effects on egg production, cellular mechanisms, and follicle growth.
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Chunmeng Yao, Ruqiang Yao, Haining Luo, Ling Shuai
Summary: This review describes in vitro germline specification studies, focusing on the reconstitution of PGCs, meiosis, signaling pathways, and factors involved in these processes.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2022)
Review
Physiology
Ryo Hoshino, Ryusuke Niwa
Summary: This review discusses the increase in female GSCs in D. melanogaster after mating, revealing the regulatory mechanisms of different hormones and neurotransmitters under mating stimuli. It emphasizes the interactions between different cells and highlights the fruit fly as a model for studying inter-organ relationships.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
Gema Villa-Fombuena, Maria Lobo-Pecellin, Miriam Marin-Menguiano, Patricia Rojas-Rios, Acaimo Gonzalez-Reyes
Summary: By studying Drosophila female germline stem cells, researchers found that the spectrosomes within GSCs and cystoblasts undergo shape changes depending on the cell cycle phase and are essential for spindle orientation during mitosis. The asymmetric division of GSCs is influenced by the niche environment, as demonstrated by symmetric division of GSC-like cells located outside the niche.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ru Zhang, Yi-Xuan Tu, Ding Ye, Zhenglong Gu, Zhen-Xia Chen, Yonghua Sun
Summary: This study identifies zebrafish pld6 as a novel germline-specific gene that plays a crucial role in the maintenance and differentiation of germline stem and progenitor cells (GSPCs). Pld6 knockout mutants develop exclusively into infertile males, as the GSPCs fail to differentiate and undergo apoptosis. Furthermore, pld6-depleted GSPCs display impaired mitochondrial fusion, defects in piRNA biogenesis, and transposon suppression.
Article
Cell Biology
Alexandra Brigitta Szarka-Kovacs, Zsanett Takacs, Melinda Bence, Miklos Erdelyi, Ferenc Jankovics
Summary: It has been found that MESR4 is a transcription factor that promotes daughter cell differentiation in Drosophila ovarian stem cells. By promoting the transcription of key differentiation regulator gene bam, MESR4 regulates the decision-making and differentiation of ovarian stem cell daughter cells. Loss of MESR4 leads to the accumulation of daughter cells and differentiation defects.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kun Tan, Miles F. Wilkinson
Summary: Through SLAMseq analysis, researchers revealed the genome-wide transcription rates during the differentiation of embryonic stem cells to form epiblast-like cells and ultimately primordial germ cell-like cells, showing bursts of transcriptional induction and rapid shut-off of genes. Additionally, they inferred RNA turnover rates and identified stabilized and destabilized mRNAs during primordial germ cell-like cell specification.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Tamara B. Garcia, Jonathan C. Snedeker, Dmitry Baturin, Lori Gardner, Susan P. Fosmire, Chengjing Zhou, Craig T. Jordan, Sujatha Venkataraman, Rajeev Vibhakar, Christopher C. Porter
MOLECULAR CANCER THERAPEUTICS
(2017)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew Wooten, Jonathan Snedeker, Zehra F. Nizami, Xinxing Yang, Rajesh Ranjanl, Elizabeth Urban, Jee Min Kim, Joseph Gall, Jie Xiao, Xin Chen
NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Rajesh Ranjan, Jonathan Snedeker, Xin Chen
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Matthew Wooten, Yingying Li, Jonathan Snedeker, Zehra F. Nizami, Joseph G. Gall, Xin Chen
Article
Biology
Jee Min Kim, Pat Visanpattanasin, Vivian Jou, Sheng Liu, Xiaona Tang, Qinsi Zheng, Kai Yu Li, Jonathan Snedeker, Luke D. Lavis, Timothee Lionnet, Carl Wu
Summary: Conserved ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers exhibit hyperkinetic behaviors in chromatin with notably fast dissociation kinetics, requiring ATP binding or hydrolysis for enhanced dynamics. Multiple remodelers can repeatedly occupy the same promoter region on a timescale of minutes, suggesting an ongoing 'tug-of-war' that controls a shifting window of accessibility for the transcription initiation machinery.
Article
Cell Biology
Rajesh Ranjan, Jonathan Snedeker, Matthew Wooten, Carolina Chu, Sabrina Bracero, Taylar Mouton, Xin Chen
Summary: During asymmetric division of male germline stem cells in Drosophila melanogaster, the asymmetrical inheritance of old and new histones affects chromosomal features and cell-cycle progression events, leading to GSC defects.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chinmayi Chandrasekhara, Rajesh Ranjan, Jennifer Urban, Brendon E. M. Davis, Wai Lim Ku, Jonathan Snedeker, Keji Zhao, Xin Chen
Summary: Adult stem cells undergo asymmetric cell divisions to produce 2 daughter cells with distinct cell fates. Misregulation of this delicate balance can lead to cancer and tissue degeneration. The N-terminal tails of histone H3 and H3.3 are critical for their inheritance patterns, as well as germ cell maintenance and proper differentiation.
