Distinct signaling signatures drive compensatory proliferation via S-phase acceleration

PLoS Genet. 2022 Dec 15;18(12):e1010516. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010516. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Regeneration relies on cell proliferation to restore damaged tissues. Multiple signaling pathways activated by local or paracrine cues have been identified to promote regenerative proliferation. How different types of tissue damage may activate distinct signaling pathways and how these differences converge on regenerative proliferation is less well defined. To better understand how tissue damage and proliferative signals are integrated during regeneration, we investigate models of compensatory proliferation in Drosophila imaginal discs. We find that compensatory proliferation is associated with a unique cell cycle profile, which is characterized by short G1 and G2 phases and, surprisingly, by acceleration of the S-phase. S-phase acceleration can be induced by two distinct signaling signatures, aligning with inflammatory and non-inflammatory tissue damage. Specifically, non-autonomous activation of JAK/STAT and Myc in response to inflammatory damage, or local activation of Ras/ERK and Hippo/Yki in response to elevated cell death, promote accelerated nucleotide incorporation during S-phase. This previously unappreciated convergence of different damaging insults on the same regenerative cell cycle program reconciles previous conflicting observations on proliferative signaling in different tissue regeneration and tumor models.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Division
  • Cell Proliferation / genetics
  • Drosophila / metabolism
  • Drosophila Proteins* / genetics
  • Drosophila Proteins* / metabolism
  • Drosophila melanogaster / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / physiology

Substances

  • Drosophila Proteins

Grants and funding

Funding for this work was provided by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation (Plus3 Programme to AKC), and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) within the Heisenberg Program (CL490/3-1 to AKC) and under the Germany’s Excellence Strategy (CIBSS – EXC-2189 – Project ID 390939984; BIOSS – EXC294). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.