DrosophilaNeural Stem Cells in Brain Development and Tumor Formation

Steroid hormone induction of temporal gene expression in Drosophila brain neuroblasts generates neuronal and glial diversity

“…For example, understanding normal neurodevelopmental programs may help design reprogramming protocols to replace specific neurons in clinical trials; may help elucidate principles of connectivity based on shared developmental features; and may help reveal how proliferative neural progenitors avoid tumor formation without differentiating. Drosophila has been a pioneering model system for the study of neural progenitor specification by spatial cues (Skeath and Thor, 2003), neural progenitor self-renewal versus differentiation (Doe, 2008), stem cell derived tumor formation (Caussinus and Hirth, 2007; Homem et al, 2015; Jiang and Reichert, 2014; Maurange and Gould, 2005), and more recently the identification of temporal factors that are sequentially expressed during neural progenitor lineages to increase neural diversity (reviewed in Kohwi and Doe [2013]; Maurange and Gould [2005]; Rossi et al [2017]). In most of the examples cited above, Drosophila studies have revealed conserved mechanisms and/or molecules used in mammals.…”

Steroid hormone induction of temporal gene expression in Drosophila brain neuroblasts generates neuronal and glial diversity

“…For example, understanding normal neurodevelopmental programs may help design reprogramming protocols to replace specific neurons in clinical trials; may help elucidate principles of connectivity based on shared developmental features; and may help reveal how proliferative neural progenitors avoid tumor formation without differentiating. Drosophila has been a pioneering model system for the study of neural progenitor specification by spatial cues (Skeath and Thor, 2003), neural progenitor self-renewal versus differentiation (Doe, 2008), stem cell derived tumor formation (Caussinus and Hirth, 2007; Homem et al, 2015; Jiang and Reichert, 2014; Maurange and Gould, 2005), and more recently the identification of temporal factors that are sequentially expressed during neural progenitor lineages to increase neural diversity (reviewed in Kohwi and Doe, 2013; Maurange and Gould, 2005; Rossi et al, 2016). In most of the examples cited above, Drosophila studies have revealed conserved mechanisms and/or molecules used in mammals.…”

Arl2- and Msps-dependent microtubule growth governs asymmetric division

“…Self-renewal and differentiation are two key features of stem cells. In Drosophila melanogaster, larval brain neural stem cells, or neuroblasts (NBs), divide asymmetrically to give rise to a self-renewing NB and a ganglion mother cell (GMC) that generates two post-mitotic neurons ( Doe, 2008 ; Wu et al, 2008 ; Knoblich, 2010 ; Gonzalez, 2013 ; Jiang and Reichert, 2014 ; Li et al, 2014 ). During each asymmetric division, cell polarity is established by apically localized Par proteins, including atypical PKC (aPKC), Bazooka (the Drosophila homologue of Par3), and Par6 ( Wodarz et al, 1999 , 2000 ; Petronczki and Knoblich, 2001 ).…”