Stem cell niche exit in C. elegans via orientation and segregation of daughter cells by a cryptic cell outside the niche

Stem cells reside in and rely upon their niche to maintain stemness but must balance self-renewal with the production of daughters that leave the niche to differentiate. We discovered a mechanism of stem cell niche exit in the canonical distal tip cell (DTC) germ stem cell niche mediated by previous...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:eLife 2020-07, Vol.9
Main Authors: Gordon, Kacy L, Zussman, Jay W, Li, Xin, Miller, Camille, Sherwood, David R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actin Depolymerizing Factors - metabolism
Actin-Related Protein 2-3 Complex - metabolism
Animals
asymmetric cell division
Caenorhabditis elegans - cytology
Cell Differentiation
Developmental Biology
distal tip cell
germ cell
Germ Cells - cytology
Germ Cells - metabolism
gonadal sheath
niche exit
RNA Interference
stem cell niche
Stem Cell Niche - physiology
Stem cells
Stem Cells - cytology
Stem Cells - metabolism
Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
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Summary:Stem cells reside in and rely upon their niche to maintain stemness but must balance self-renewal with the production of daughters that leave the niche to differentiate. We discovered a mechanism of stem cell niche exit in the canonical distal tip cell (DTC) germ stem cell niche mediated by previously unobserved, thin, membranous protrusions of the adjacent somatic gonad cell pair (Sh1). A disproportionate number of germ cell divisions were observed at the DTC-Sh1 interface. Stem-like and differentiating cell fates segregated across this boundary. Spindles polarized, pairs of daughter cells oriented between the DTC and Sh1, and Sh1 grew over the Sh1-facing daughter. Impeding Sh1 growth by RNAi to cofilin and Arp2/3 perturbed the DTC-Sh1 interface, reduced germ cell proliferation, and shifted a differentiation marker. Because Sh1 membrane protrusions eluded detection for decades, it is possible that similar structures actively regulate niche exit in other systems.
ISSN:2050-084X
2050-084X
DOI:10.7554/eLife.56383