Browsing by keyword "Duox"
Now showing items 1-2 of 2
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Death is Not the End: The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Driving Apoptosis-induced ProliferationApoptosis-induced proliferation (AiP) is a compensatory mechanism to maintain tissue size and morphology following unexpected cell loss during normal development, and may also be a contributing factor to cancer growth and drug resistance. In apoptotic cells, caspase-initiated signaling cascades lead to the downstream production of mitogenic factors and the proliferation of neighboring surviving cells. In epithelial Drosophila tissues, the Caspase-9 homolog Dronc drives AiP via activation of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK); however, the specific mechanisms of JNK activation remain unknown. Using a model of sustained AiP that produces a hyperplastic phenotype in Drosophila eye and head tissue, I have found that caspase-induced activation of JNK during AiP depends on extracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the NADPH oxidase Duox. I found these ROS are produced early in the death-regeneration process by undifferentiated epithelial cells that have initiated the apoptotic cascade. I also found that reduction of these ROS by mis-expression of extracellular catalases was sufficient to reduce the frequency of overgrowth associated with our model of AiP. I further observed that extracellular ROS attract and activate Drosophila macrophages (hemocytes), which may in turn trigger JNK activity in epithelial cells by signaling through the TNF receptor Grindelwald. We propose that signaling back and forth between epithelial cells and hemocytes by extracellular ROS and Grindelwald drives compensatory proliferation within the epithelium, and that in cases of persistent signaling, such as in our sustained model of AiP, hemocytes play a tumor promoting role, driving overgrowth.
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Transiently "Undead" Enterocytes Mediate Homeostatic Tissue Turnover in the Adult Drosophila MidgutWe reveal surprising similarities between homeostatic cell turnover in adult Drosophila midguts and "undead" apoptosis-induced compensatory proliferation (AiP) in imaginal discs. During undead AiP, immortalized cells signal for AiP, allowing its analysis. Critical for undead AiP is the Myo1D-dependent localization of the initiator caspase Dronc to the plasma membrane. Here, we show that Myo1D functions in mature enterocytes (ECs) to control mitotic activity of intestinal stem cells (ISCs). In Myo1D mutant midguts, many signaling events involved in AiP (ROS generation, hemocyte recruitment, and JNK signaling) are affected. Importantly, similar to AiP, Myo1D is required for membrane localization of Dronc in ECs. We propose that ECs destined to die transiently enter an undead-like state through Myo1D-dependent membrane localization of Dronc, which enables them to generate signals for ISC activity and their replacement. The concept of transiently "undead" cells may be relevant for other stem cell models in flies and mammals.

