The Drosophila Sp8 transcription factor Buttonhead prevents premature differentiation of intermediate neural progenitors
نویسندگان
چکیده
Intermediate neural progenitor cells (INPs) need to avoid differentiation and cell cycle exit while maintaining restricted developmental potential, but mechanisms preventing differentiation and cell cycle exit of INPs are not well understood. In this study, we report that the Drosophila homolog of mammalian Sp8 transcription factor Buttonhead (Btd) prevents premature differentiation and cell cycle exit of INPs in Drosophila larval type II neuroblast (NB) lineages. We show that the loss of Btd leads to elimination of mature INPs due to premature differentiation of INPs into terminally dividing ganglion mother cells. We provide evidence to demonstrate that Btd prevents the premature differentiation by suppressing the expression of the homeodomain protein Prospero in immature INPs. We further show that Btd functions cooperatively with the Ets transcription factor Pointed P1 to promote the generation of INPs. Thus, our work reveals a critical mechanism that prevents premature differentiation and cell cycle exit of Drosophila INPs.
منابع مشابه
The Ets protein Pointed prevents both premature differentiation and dedifferentiation of Drosophila intermediate neural progenitors.
Intermediate neural progenitors (INPs) need to avoid both dedifferentiation and differentiation during neurogenesis, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In Drosophila, the Ets protein Pointed P1 (PntP1) is required to generate INPs from type II neuroblasts. Here, we investigated how PntP1 promotes INP generation. By generating pntP1-specific mutants and using RNAi knockdown, ...
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