Flower isoforms mediate fitness selection of astrocytes through extracellular vesicles

ABSTRACT: Cellular fitness surveillance preserves tissue integrity by eliminating less-fit cells, yet its regulation within the complex glial networks of the mammalian brain remains poorly understood. Here, we identify a dual-domain mechanism in the transmembrane protein Flower-which encodes survival-promoting ("win") and apoptosis-inducing ("lose") isoforms-that enables non-contact-dependent fitness signaling in astrocytes. We show that astrocytes release extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying full-length Flower, allowing for intercellular surveillance between distant cells. The shared N-terminal domain acts extrinsically via EVs to drive the elimination of distal, less-fit cells. In contrast, the C-terminal domain-exclusive to the win isoform-functions intrinsically independent of EV transport; it

SUBMITTER: Szu-Min Tu 

PROVIDER: S-SCDT-10_1038-S44319-026-00981-4 | biostudies-other |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other