Cease and desist: modulating short-range Dpp signalling in the stem-cell niche
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

A Two-Step Strategy that Combines Epigenetic Modification and Biomechanical Cues to Generate Mammalian Pluripotent Cells
Published on: August 29, 2020
Robin E Harris1, Hilary L Ashe
1Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
Abstract:
Drosophila ovarian germline stem cells (GSCs) are maintained by the extracellular BMP2/4 orthologue Dpp, which is produced from the surrounding somatic niche. The Dpp signal has a short range; it induces a response in GSCs within the niche, but is rapidly extinguished in their progeny only one cell-diameter away. To ensure the correct balance between stem-cell maintenance and differentiation, several regulatory mechanisms that modulate the Dpp signal at many stages of the pathway have been described. Here, we discuss the nature of the ovarian Dpp signal and review the catalogue of mechanisms that regulate it, demonstrating how the exquisite modulation of Dpp signalling in this context can result in precise and robust control of stem-cell fate. This modulation is applicable to other stem-cell environments that use BMPs as a niche signal, and the regulatory mechanisms are conceptually relevant to several other stem-cell systems.
Related Concept Videos
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
Stem Cell Niche
Role of Ephrin-Eph Signalling in Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Multipotency of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Maintenance of the ES Cell State

