Tumor suppressors Sav/Scrib and oncogene Ras regulate stem-cell transformation in adult Drosophila malpighian tubules.

ABSTRACT: An increasing body of evidence suggests that tumors might originate from a few transformed cells that share many properties with normal stem cells. However, it remains unclear how normal stem cells are transformed into cancer stem cells (CSCs). Here, we demonstrated that mutations causing the loss of tumor suppressor Salvador (Sav) or Scribble (Scrib) or activation of the oncogene Ras transform normal stem cells into CSCs through a multistep process in the adult Drosophila Malpighian Tubules (MTs). In wild-type MTs, each stem cell generates one self-renewing and one differentiating daughter cell. However, in flies with loss-of-function sav or scrib or gain-of-function Ras mutations, both daughter cells grew and behaved like stem cells, leading to the formation of tumors in MTs. Ras functio

SUBMITTER: Zeng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3391499 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature