Asperous coordinates regeneration timing by regulating damage-induced WNT signaling

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Cell Signaling
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Tissue regeneration necessitates precise signaling for cell proliferation, differentiation, and patterning.
• Coordination of cell differentiation during later stages of regeneration remains poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify regeneration-specific regulators in Drosophila wing discs.
• Elucidate the role of Asperous (Aspr) in coordinating cell differentiation during tissue repair.

Main Methods:

• Investigated Aspr's expression patterns post-injury in Drosophila wing discs.
• Analyzed the effects of Aspr manipulation on differentiation and reparative growth.
• Utilized structural prediction and localization studies to determine Aspr's subcellular localization and interactions.
• Examined Aspr's influence on Wingless/Wnt (WNT) signaling post-injury.

Main Results:

• Aspr is induced post-injury and is crucial for regeneration, while dispensable for development.
• Aspr expression inhibits differentiation and alters growth; its loss impairs regeneration.
• Aspr is an extracellular protein associated with extracellular vesicles (EVs) and co-localizes with Wingless (Wg).
• Aspr regulates post-injury WNT signaling, potentially via EVs, but not developmental WNT signaling.

Conclusions:

• Aspr is a regeneration-specific regulator in Drosophila wing discs.
• Aspr controls WNT signaling dynamics to ensure timely cell fate specification during regeneration.
• Aspr reveals a mechanism for temporal control of signaling during tissue repair.