Drosophila m . has a long history of major contributions to basic biology and biomedical research. Not surprisingly, the recent identifi cation of several multipotent stem cell populations in the Drosophila fl y digestive tract has generated an immense enthusiasm in the research community. This experimental model provides a unique opportunity to study adult somatic stem cells, using the power of fl y genetics. Over the past few years, research in this fi eld has focused on the characterization of the signaling pathways and mechanisms that control stem cell function and tissue repair in the intestine. Importantly, the rapid aging and short lifespan of Drosophila make this model ideal to investigate the impact of aging on stem cell populations and test the contribution of somatic stem cells to normal healthspan and lifespan. This chapter presents recent fi ndings that elucidate the mechanisms causing age-related loss of tissue homeostasis in the fl y intestine, as well as strategies of stem cell-specifi c genetic manipulation that signifi cantly impact physiology in aging animals and can extend lifespan.
IntroductionWith the identifi cation of stem cell populations in the developing larval brain and the gonads, studies in Drosophila have been pivotal to the discovery of fundamental processes that regulate stem cell biology in many other stem/progenitor compartments. For example, many conserved mechanisms that control asymmetric cell division and cell specifi cation were fi rst identifi ed in larval neuroblasts (Knoblich 2010 ), while studies of the germline stem cells in the fl y testis and ovary