Drosophila Abi maintains blood cell homeostasis by promoting clathrin-mediated endocytosis of Notch.

ABSTRACT: Abl-interactor (Abi) proteins induce actin polymerization by activating Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) or SCAR/WASP-family verprolin-homologous protein. Loss of mammalian Abi1 causes myeloproliferative neoplasm; however, little is known about how the Abi family of actin-regulatory proteins regulates blood cell homeostasis. Here, we demonstrate that Drosophila Abi promotes plasmatocyte-to-crystal cell transdifferentiation but represses plasmatocyte-to-lamellocyte transdifferentiation through Notch signaling. Consistent with a previously demonstrated role of clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) in Notch signaling activation, we find that Abi promotes Notch-CME by recruiting WASp and the Notch receptor to nascent sites of CME. Finally, we demonstrate that CME and crystal cell formatio

SUBMITTER: Park HG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12755901 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature