Cytonemes coordinate asymmetric signaling and organization in the Drosophila muscle progenitor niche

Akshay Patel, Yicong Wu, Xiaofei Han, Yijun Su, Tim Maugel, Hari Shroff and Sougata Roy ()
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Akshay Patel: University of Maryland
Yicong Wu: National Institutes of Health
Xiaofei Han: National Institutes of Health
Yijun Su: National Institutes of Health
Tim Maugel: University of Maryland
Hari Shroff: National Institutes of Health
Sougata Roy: University of Maryland

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract Asymmetric signaling and organization in the stem-cell niche determine stem-cell fates. Here, we investigate the basis of asymmetric signaling and stem-cell organization using the Drosophila wing-disc that creates an adult muscle progenitor (AMP) niche. We show that AMPs extend polarized cytonemes to contact the disc epithelial junctions and adhere themselves to the disc/niche. Niche-adhering cytonemes localize FGF-receptor to selectively adhere to the FGF-producing disc and receive FGFs in a contact-dependent manner. Activation of FGF signaling in AMPs, in turn, reinforces disc-specific cytoneme polarity/adhesion, which maintains their disc-proximal positions. Loss of cytoneme-mediated adhesion promotes AMPs to lose niche occupancy and FGF signaling, occupy a disc-distal position, and acquire morphological hallmarks of differentiation. Niche-specific AMP organization and diversification patterns are determined by localized expression and presentation patterns of two different FGFs in the wing-disc and their polarized target-specific distribution through niche-adhering cytonemes. Thus, cytonemes are essential for asymmetric signaling and niche-specific AMP organization.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28587-z

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