Genetic Dissection of Drosophila Hematopoiesis

描述(由申请人提供)：从理解正常功能和白血病的角度来看，血液发育和疾病的分子机制是非常感兴趣和重要的。长期以来，果蝇一直是许多发育过程的遗传模型，但它作为造血模型的有用性直到最近才被认识到。果蝇维持血液干细胞的机制在发育策略和与哺乳动物系统的功能上显示出显着的保守性。这项拟议的工作旨在确定维持干细胞动态平衡的分子途径。还提出了系统信号和营养剥夺在髓系细胞发育中的作用。这些都是与发育和医学相关的问题，对于这些问题，开发适用于遗传筛选的模型系统是必不可少的。该提案有四个具体目标。在目标1中，将开发一种动态平衡模型，通过该模型，不仅通过来自利基的信号，而且还通过已经开始分化的细胞来维持血液前体。在目标2中，将研究转录因子STAT在维持果蝇干细胞命运中的作用。在目标3中，将研究控制干细胞完整性的细胞外基质成分的作用。在最终目标中，将研究控制果蝇血液干细胞维持的大脑信号，并研究它们在饥饿诱导的干细胞丢失中的作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Molecular mechanisms underlying blood development and disorders are of great interest and importance from the perspective of understanding normal function and leukemias. Drosophila has long served as a genetic model for many developmental processes, but its usefulness as a hematopoietic model has only recently been appreciated. The mechanisms that maintain blood stem cells in Drosophila show remarkable conservation in strategy of development and function with mammalian systems. The proposed work intends to determine the molecular pathways that maintain stem cell homeostasis. Also proposed is the role of systemic signals and nutrient deprivation on myeloid cell development. These are developmentally and medically relevant problems for which model systems amenable to genetic screens are essential to develop. The proposal has four specific aims. In Aim 1, a homeostatic model by which blood precursors are maintained not only by a signal from a niche, but also from the cells that have started differentiating will be developed. In Aim 2, the involvement of the transcription factor STAT in the maintenance of stem cell fate in Drosophila will be investigated. In Aim 3, the role of extracellular matrix components that control the integrity of stem cells will be studied. In the final aim, signals arising from the brain that control blood stem cell maintenance in Drosophila will be investigated and their role in starvation induced stem cell loss studied.