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Figure 4 | BMC Developmental Biology

Figure 4

From: Reversible regulation of stem cell niche size associated with dietary control of Notch signalling

Figure 4

Niche plasticity is regulated by Notch signalling. (A) After development at 18°C N ts1 and N ts2 mutant flies have a smaller niche on eclosion compared to wild type (WT) flies but niche remains stable if flies are maintained at 18°C. Shifting N ts1 and N ts2 to 29°C on eclosion results in a decline in niche size while WT niche is unaffected. (B) GSC numbers are reduced to a greater extent when N ts1 and N ts2 flies are shifted to 29°C compared to similarly treated WT flies. (C) Cap cell niche (arrow) of N ts1 germarium on eclosion stained with anti-Coracle (purple) anti-LaminC and anti-Spectrin (green). Arrowheads indicate GSCs. (D) N ts1 mutant after 15 days post eclosion at 29°C with reduced niche size (arrow), occupied by single GSC undergoing asymmetric division (elongated spectrosome marked by arrowhead). (E) Decline of cap cell niche observed in N ts1 flies is reversed by day 15 after a temperature downshift to 18°C at either 6 days or 9 days post eclosion compared to flies maintained at 29°C. (F) Decline in GSCs is similarly reversed. (A, B, E, F) Data displayed as mean ± SEM. *indicates p < 0.05; *** indicates p < 0.001, Mann Whitney U test for comparisons of indicated time points with adults at 15 days post eclosion. (G) Ax E2/+ ovarioles expand cap cell numbers after eclosion compared to WT (*** indicates p < 0.001, Mann–Whitney U test), but GSC numbers although initially higher in Ax E2/+ niches (**, p < 0.01, Mann–Whitney U test), eventually decline to WT levels. For (A, B) n = 29 to 62, (E, F) n = 36 to 112, (G) n = 50 to 100.

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