The let-7-Imp axis regulates ageing of the Drosophila testis stem-cell niche

Toledano, H., D'Alterio, C., Czech, B., Levine, E., Jones, D. L. (May 2012) The let-7-Imp axis regulates ageing of the Drosophila testis stem-cell niche. Nature, 485 (7400). pp. 605-610. ISSN 0028-0836

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22660319
DOI: 10.1038/nature11061

Abstract

Adult stem cells support tissue homeostasis and repair throughout the life of an individual. During ageing, numerous intrinsic and extrinsic changes occur that result in altered stem-cell behaviour and reduced tissue maintenance and regeneration. In the Drosophila testis, ageing results in a marked decrease in the self-renewal factor Unpaired (Upd), leading to a concomitant loss of germline stem cells. Here we demonstrate that IGF-II messenger RNA binding protein (Imp) counteracts endogenous small interfering RNAs to stabilize upd (also known as os) RNA. However, similar to upd, Imp expression decreases in the hub cells of older males, which is due to the targeting of Imp by the heterochronic microRNA let-7. In the absence of Imp, upd mRNA therefore becomes unprotected and susceptible to degradation. Understanding the mechanistic basis for ageing-related changes in stem-cell behaviour will lead to the development of strategies to treat age-onset diseases and facilitate stem-cell-based therapies in older individuals.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: rna-binding protein time pcr data messenger-rna self-renewal microrna differentiation expression melanogaster imp identification
Subjects: organism description > animal > insect > Drosophila
organism description > animal
organism description > animal > insect
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Hannon lab
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: May 2012
Date Deposited: 18 Jan 2013 14:20
Last Modified: 20 Jul 2021 14:01
PMCID: PMC4829122
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/27066

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