Amoyel Lab
We use the fruit fly to study
How
Reproduction is shaped by stem cells and their interaction with environmental factors
Reproduction is highly dependent on diet and metabolism. While we understand this link in females, we know much less about how male reproduction depends on environmental factors. Reproduction starts with stem cells, which self-renew to produce more stem cells and differentiate into gametes. We seek to understand how this balance is achieved, how the broader systemic environment of the organism interacts with cellular decisions, and how organisms allocate metabolic resources between different cell types to ensure continued reproductive capacity.
the stem cell is genetically labelled with green fluorescent protein
A readout for differentiation signal Tor is seen in green, stem cells are labelled in red and the niche is in blue
the stem cell is genetically labelled with green fluorescent protein
Our research
We use a combination of genetics, live imaging, mathematical modelling and genomics approaches to understand the factors influencing reproduction across multiple scales within the organism.
We focus on several related questions :
- How do stem cells interpret the signals they receive from their local environment, or niche?
- How does a single cell choose to differentiate, and what changes in the cell biology occur to enable differentiation?
- How are resources allocated between different cells in the tissue to ensure the germline is supported through differentiation?
- How do systemic signals such as nutrition impact stem cell behaviour and which organs mediate this signalling?
.jpg)
Why the Drosophila testis ?
The fruit fly testis is an ideal model system : all the stem cells as well as the niche can be identified using their position. There are two stem cell populations, germline (which give rise to sperm) and somatic cyst stem cells (CySCs), which give rise to support cells for germ cell development. We focus on CySCs. We know many signals that control the behaviour of stem cells, and have unparalleled tools to genetically modify and track single stem cells so we can see how they behave over time.
We hope to make important findings that will advance our understanding of how stem cells sense and respond to their environmental conditions, using the fly as a model.
The need to adapt to environmental conditions, though, isn't restricted to flies, it happens among many stem cells, in mice and in humans, and is controlled by the same genes and signals as the ones we study in flies. Therefore, by using all the tools and advantages of fly research, we will understand better how our own stem cells work.