Chapter 5 Male stem Cell Niche and Spermatogenesis in the Drosophila testis — A Tale of Germline-Soma Communication

1. Introduction

2. The Drosophila testis

2.1. Cyst cells: The safeguards of the Germline

2.2. Niche Homeostasis: Signaling regulation of stemness vs. differentiation

3. The male stem cell niche: Specification and positioning

3.1. Some function, different mechanisms: How the Boss/Sev-AbdB cross-talk regulates niche positioning and integrity

3.1.1. Boss mediates, in a Dynamin-and Src-dependent way, germline-soma signaling in larval testis

4. Dlg, Scrib & Lgl: New functions in the Drosophila testis

4.1. Dlg, Scrib & Lgl: Multitasking proteins in common pathways in various tissues

4.1.1. Polarity establishment in various cellular contexts

4.1.2. Vesicle and membrane trafficking

4.1.3. Gene regulation and signaling output

4.2. Dlg, Scrib & Lgl in testis somatic cells promote cyst cell function & testis homeostasis

5. Conclusions and future perspectives

Author details

References