biostudies-literaturePatel AU.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of General Medical SciencesNIGMS NIH HHSU.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering1185https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8897416biostudies-literatureUnknown13(1)Asymmetric signaling and organization in the stem-cell niche determine stem-cell fates. Here, we investigate the basis of asymmetric signaling and stem-cell organization using the Drosophila wing-disc that creates an adult muscle progenitor (AMP) niche. We show that AMPs extend polarized cytonemes to contact the disc epithelial junctions and adhere themselves to the disc/niche. Niche-adhering cytonemes localize FGF-receptor to selectively adhere to the FGF-producing disc and receive FGFs in a contact-dependent manner. Activation of FGF signaling in AMPs, in turn, reinforces disc-specific cytoneme polarity/adhesion, which maintains their disc-proximal positions. Loss of cytoneme-mediated adhesion promotes AMPs to lose niche occupancy and FGF signaling, occupy a disc-distal position, and acqNature communicationsCytonemes coordinate asymmetric signaling and organization in the Drosophila muscle progenitor niche.PMC8897416IntramuralR35GM124878-03S1R35GM124878T32 GM080201R35 GM124878Patel AShroff HRoy SHan XMaugel TSu YWu YfalseCytonemes coordinate asymmetric signaling and organization in the Drosophila muscle progenitor niche.Asymmetric signaling and organization in the stem-cell niche determine stem-cell fates. Here, we investigate the basis of asymmetric signaling and stem-cell organization using the Drosophila wing-disc that creates an adult muscle progenitor (AMP) niche. We show that AMPs extend polarized cytonemes to contact the disc epithelial junctions and adhere themselves to the disc/niche. Niche-adhering cytonemes localize FGF-receptor to selectively adhere to the FGF-producing disc and receive FGFs in a contact-dependent manner. Activation of FGF signaling in AMPs, in turn, reinforces disc-specific cytoneme polarity/adhesion, which maintains their disc-proximal positions. Loss of cytoneme-mediated adhesion promotes AMPs to lose niche occupancy and FGF signaling, occupy a disc-distal position, and acq2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Mar2025-04-26T04:05:01.25Z2025-04-06T10:57:53.738ZS-EPMC88974163524653010.1038/s41467-022-28587-z