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Single-cell RNA sequencing identifies regulators of differentiation and nutritional cues in Drosophila female germ cells

ABSTRACT: Drosophila ovarian germline stem cells (GSCs) are a powerful model for stem cell research. However, due to the scarcity of GSCs in ovarian tissue, it is difficult to obtain the transcriptional profile of GSCs and identify novel GSC markers. In this study, we took advantage of single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to profile the germline cells and somatic cells in wild type Drosophila ovary. We then performed an in vivo RNAi screen and network analysis to identify genes that are involved in the early stages of germ cell differentiation. We identified 33 genes with limited expression during early germ cell development and identified 19 genes that potentially regulate germ cell differentiation. Among these, an uncharacterized gene, which we named eggplant (eggpl), that is highly expressed in GSC and downregulated in early daughter cells. Upon RNAi knockdown of eggpl, we observed an increase in germ cell proliferation, an accumulation of cysts in the early mitotic (2- and 4-cell) stages and an increase in overall ovary size compared to control when flies were maintained on a standard diet. In flies fed a rich yeast diet, the expression of eggpl was significantly lower and the effects of eggpl RNAi were suppressed, suggesting that downregulation of eggpl may link nutritional status to germ cell proliferation and differentiation. We also found that the matrix metalloproteases, Mmp1 and Mmp2 as well as the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteases (Timp) are additional regulators of eggpl. Collectively, this study provides new insight into the signaling networks that regulate early germ cell development and identifies eggpl as a key player in this process.

ORGANISM(S): Drosophila melanogaster

PROVIDER: GSE210822 | GEO | 2023/06/14

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Animals can thrive on variable food resources as a result of autonomous processes and beneficial relationships with their gut microbes. Food intake elicits major physiological changes, which are compensated with transient systemic responses that maintain homeostasis in the organism. This integration of external information occurs through cellular sensory elements, such as nuclear receptors, which modulate gene expression in response to specific cues. Given the importance of the germline stem cells (GSCs) for the development of the germ line and the continuity of the species, it is reasonable to assume that GSCs might be shielded from the negative influence of environmental perturbations. To our knowledge, however, there are no mechanisms reported that protect proliferating germ cells from harmful dietary metabolites. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model, we report that the somatic activity of the conserved nuclear receptor nhr-114/HNF4 protects GSC divisions and GSC integrity from dietary metabolites. In the absence of nhr-114 and on certain bacterial diets, otherwise somatically normal animals accumulate germ cell division defects during development and become sterile. We find that in nhr-114(-) animals the induction of germline defects and sterility depends on the bacterial metabolic status with respect to the essential amino acid tryptophan. This illustrates an animal-microbe interaction in which somatic nuclear receptor activity preserves the germline by buffering against dietary metabolites, likely through a somatic detoxifying response. Overall, our findings uncover an unprecedented and presumably evolutionary conserved soma-to-germline axis of communication that maintains reproductive robustness on variable food resources. Trasncriptional profiles of adult sterile nhr-114(RNAi) animals were compared to those of sterile glp-1(q224ts) animals. Independently, the transcriptional profiles of wild type animals fed an OP50 diet supplemented with Tryptophan was compared to wild type animals fed a standard OP50 diet.

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Single-cell RNA sequencing identifies regulators of differentiation and nutritional cues in Drosophila female germ cells

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