Transcriptomic analysis of feminizing somatic stem cells in the Drosophila testis reveals putative downstream effectors of the transcription factor Chinmo

One of the best examples of sexual dimorphism is the development and function of the gonads, ovaries and testes, which produce sex-specific gametes, oocytes, and spermatids, respectively. The development of these specialized germ cells requires sex-matched somatic support cells. The sexual identity...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	G3 : genes - genomes - genetics Vol. 11; no. 4
Main Authors:	Grmai, Lydia, Harsh, Sneh, Lu, Sean, Korman, Aryeh, Deb, Ishan B, Bach, Erika A
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England Oxford University Press 15-04-2021
Subjects:	Adult Stem Cells - metabolism Animals Drosophila - metabolism Drosophila melanogaster - genetics Drosophila melanogaster - metabolism Drosophila Proteins - genetics Drosophila Proteins - metabolism Female Genetics of Sex Gonads - metabolism Male Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics Testis - metabolism Transcription Factors - genetics Transcriptome ovary sexual identity Chinmo testis sex transformation
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Summary:	One of the best examples of sexual dimorphism is the development and function of the gonads, ovaries and testes, which produce sex-specific gametes, oocytes, and spermatids, respectively. The development of these specialized germ cells requires sex-matched somatic support cells. The sexual identity of somatic gonadal cells is specified during development and must be actively maintained during adulthood. We previously showed that the transcription factor Chinmo is required to ensure the male sexual identity of somatic support cells in the Drosophila melanogaster testis. Loss of chinmo from male somatic gonadal cells results in feminization: they transform from squamous to epithelial-like cells that resemble somatic cells in the female gonad but fail to properly ensheath the male germline, causing infertility. To identify potential target genes of Chinmo, we purified somatic cells deficient for chinmo from the adult Drosophila testis and performed next-generation sequencing to compare their transcriptome to that of control somatic cells. Bioinformatics revealed 304 and 1549 differentially upregulated and downregulated genes, respectively, upon loss of chinmo in early somatic cells. Using a combination of methods, we validated several differentially expressed genes. These data sets will be useful resources to the community.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Present address: Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. Lydia Grmai and SnehHarsh contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:	2160-1836 2160-1836
DOI:	10.1093/g3journal/jkab067