The Fruitfly Testis Niche (IMAGE)

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

The Fruitfly Testis Niche

Caption

The hub cells provide self-renewal signals and anchor the two stem cell populations of the testis niche, the somatic cyst stem cells (CySCs) and the germline stem cells (GSCs). GSC divisions to produce gonialblast (Gb) daughters exhibit delayed completion of cytokinesis, resulting in GSC-Gb pairs remaining attached for a significant amount of time. Our results indicate that this delay may serve to coordinate the production of CySC and GSC daughter cells to ensure the correct association of one Gb with two somatic cyst cells. The formation of this functional unit of differentiation is absolutely required for the production of sperm.

Credit

Stephen DiNardo, PhD, and Kari F. Lenhart, PhD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; Developmental Cell

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