Characterization of midgut stem cell- and enteroblast-specific Gal4 lines in drosophila

The homeostasis of Drosophila midgut is maintained by multipotent intestinal stem cells (ISCs), each of which gives rise to a new ISC and an immature daughter cell, enteroblast (EB), after one asymmetric cell division. In Drosophila, the Gal4-UAS system is widely used to manipulate gene expression in a tissue- or cell-specific manner, but in Drosophila midgut, there are no ISC- or EB-specific Gal4 lines available. Here we report the generation and characterization of Dl-Gal4 and Su(H)GBE-Gal4 lines, which are expressed specifically in the ISCs and EBs separately. Additionally, we demonstrate that Dl-Gal4 and Su(H)GBE-Gal4 are expressed in adult midgut progenitors (AMPs) and niche peripheral cells (PCs) separately in larval midgut. These two Gal4 lines will serve as invaluable tools for navigating ISC behaviors.