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Clonal expansion in stem cell niches

Stem cell-associated stromal cells create a signalling microenvironment – a niche – that sustains the self-renewing and asymmetric properties of stem cell divisions. The Drosophila ovary is an ideal system for investigating how these niches form and recruit stem cells. In their careful study on p. 2579, Zhu and Xie have analysed the occupation of the ovarian niche in flies by primordial germ cells (PGCs). They report that, as niche formation begins, one population of PGCs directly differentiates, while an anterior population, which lies adjacent to the cells that create the niche, develop into germline stem cells. These anterior PGCs exhibit distinctive division patterns and require dpp signalling to maintain normal proliferation. Importantly, lineage-tracing analyses revealed that a single PGC can occupy a whole niche through clonal expansion. Such findings offer valuable insights into how other niches might form.

Related articles in Development:

Clonal expansion of ovarian germline stem cells during niche formation in Drosophila

Chun-Hong Zhu and Ting Xie
Development 2003 130: 2579-2588. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in Development Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content