Stem cell aging is controlled both intrinsically and extrinsically in the Drosophila ovary

It is widely postulated that tissue aging could be, at least partially, caused by reduction of stem cell number, activity, or both. However, the mechanisms of controlling stem cell aging remain largely a mystery. Here, we use Drosophila ovarian germline stem cells (GSCs) as a model to demonstrate th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cell stem cell 2007-10, Vol.1 (4), p.458-469
Main Authors: Pan, Lei, Chen, Shuyi, Weng, Changjiang, Call, Gerald, Zhu, Dongxiao, Tang, Hong, Zhang, Nian, Xie, Ting
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins - metabolism
Cadherins - metabolism
Cell Count
Cell Proliferation
Cellular Senescence
Drosophila melanogaster - cytology
Female
Models, Biological
Ovary - cytology
Ovary - enzymology
Ovum - cytology
Ovum - enzymology
Signal Transduction
Stem Cells - cytology
Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism
Time Factors
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Summary:It is widely postulated that tissue aging could be, at least partially, caused by reduction of stem cell number, activity, or both. However, the mechanisms of controlling stem cell aging remain largely a mystery. Here, we use Drosophila ovarian germline stem cells (GSCs) as a model to demonstrate that age-dependent decline in the functions of stem cells and their niche contributes to overall stem cell aging. BMP signaling activity from the niche significantly decreases with age, and increasing BMP signaling can prolong GSC life span and promote their proliferation. In addition, the age-dependent E-cadherin decline in the stem cell-niche junction also contributes to stem cell aging. Finally, overexpression of SOD, an enzyme that helps eliminate free oxygen species, in either GSCs or their niche alone can prolong GSC life span and increase GSC proliferation. Therefore, this study demonstrates that stem cell aging is controlled extrinsically and intrinsically in the Drosophila ovary.
ISSN:1934-5909
1875-9777
DOI:10.1016/j.stem.2007.09.010