| Speaker: |
Joaquín de Navascués
Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge |
| Title: |
Insights into intestinal homeostasis from Drosophila: stochastic fate allocation and stress-induced exit from quiescence |
| Summary : | The homeostatic maintenance of intestinal epithelium is subject of interest due to its medical relevance and its value as a model for studying stem cell function. For decades, intestinal homeostasis has been thought to rely on stem cells that divide asymmetrically and to proceed by continuous self-renewal. I will present work showing that the adult Drosophila intestine, previously thought to behave asymmetrically, is maintained through symmetric divisions resolved stochastically, in parallel with recent findings in the mammalian gut. I will also discuss how this behaviour could be molecularly regulated. Finally, I will present evidence that the Drosophila intestine is not in continuous renewal, but rather in a state of quiescence that can be stimulated to division by stress. |
