<i>Ecdysone Receptor</i> autonomously controls germ cell differentiation in the <i>Drosophila</i> ovary.

ABSTRACT: In the Drosophila ovary, the steroid hormone ecdysone controls germline stem cell (GSC) maintenance and germ cell differentiation. Prior studies demonstrated that ecdysone regulates germ cell differentiation non-autonomously via the nuclear receptor Ecdysone Receptor (EcR) in ovarian somatic cells. Although EcR is also expressed in GSCs and their differentiating daughters, potential direct roles for EcR in GSCs independent of the soma have not been examined. Here, we demonstrate that EcR functions autonomously in GSCs and cystoblasts to control germline differentiation. While depletion of EcR from GSCs mildly reduces GSC self-renewal, over-expression of EcR specifically in GSCs and cystoblasts impedes germ cell differentiation, phenotypically resembling bag of marbl

SUBMITTER: Jung LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12767327 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature