2010/02/10 by Allison J. Bardin, Carolina N. Perdigoto, Tony D. Southall +2 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Immunology and Microbiology · Neuroscience · #Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation #Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms #Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
paper · doi:10.1242/dev.039404
openalex publication_date 2010/02/10 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Adult stem cells maintain tissue homeostasis by controlling the proper balance of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. The adult midgut of Drosophila contains multipotent intestinal stem cells (ISCs) that self-renew and produce differentiated progeny. Control of ISC identity and maintenance is poorly understood. Here we find that transcriptional repression of Notch target genes by a Hairless-Suppressor of Hairless complex is required for ISC maintenance, and identify genes of the Enhancer of split complex [E(spl)-C] as the major targets of this repression. In addition, we find that the bHLH transcription factor Daughterless is essential to maintain ISC identity and that bHLH binding sites promote ISC-specific enhancer activity. We propose that Daughterless-dependent bHLH activity is important for the ISC fate and that E(spl)-C factors inhibit this activity to promote differentiation.