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First published online September 30, 2004
doi: 10.1242/10.1242/dev.01373

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How different is Venus from Mars? The genetics of germ-line stem cells in Drosophila females and males

Developmental Genetics Program, Skirball Institute and Department of Cell Biology at NYU School of Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: lehmann{at}saturn.med.nyu.edu)

SUMMARY

In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, both spermatogenesis and oogenesis rely on germ-line stem cells (GSCs). Intensive research has revealed many of the molecules and pathways that underlie GSC maintenance and differentiation in males and females. In this review, we discuss new studies that, some differences notwithstanding, highlight the similarities in the structural and molecular strategies used by the two sexes in GSC maintenance and differentiation. These include the tight control that somatic support cells exert on every aspect of GSC function and the similar molecular mechanisms for physical attachment, cell-cell signaling and gap-junction communication. Some common principles underlying GSC biology in the fly may be applied to stem cells in other organisms.

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