Origin and specification of type-II neuroblasts in the Drosophila embryo

Abstract

In Drosophila, neural stem cells or neuroblasts (NBs) acquire different identities according to their site of origin in the embryonic neuroectoderm. Their identity determines the number of times they will divide and the types of daughter cells they will generate. All NBs divide asymmetrically, with type-I NBs undergoing self-renewal and generating another cell that will divide only once more. By contrast, a small set of NBs in the larval brain, type-II NBs, divide differently, undergoing self-renewal and generating an intermediate neural progenitor (INP) that continues to divide asymmetrically several more times, generating larger lineages. In this study, we have analysed the origin of type-II NBs and how they are specified. Our results indicate that these cells originate in three distinct clusters in the dorsal protocerebrum during stage 12 of embryonic development. Moreover, it appears that their specification requires the combined action of EGFR signalling and the activity of the related genes buttonhead and Drosophila Sp1. In addition, we also show that the INPs generated in the embryo enter quiescence at the end of embryogenesis, resuming proliferation in larval stage.