A stress-responsive miRNA regulates BMP signaling to maintain tissue homeostasis
Sromana Mukherjee, Nuria Paricio, Nicholas S. Sokol
Abstract
Significance Adult stem cells maintain tissue homeostasis by rapidly replenishing cells lost from injury or tissue damage. We use the Drosophila adult intestine as a model tissue to identify a stress-responsive, tissue-specific microRNA (miRNA), miR-958 , that is crucial for regulating intestinal stem cell number during homeostasis and in response to stress. We also show that this miRNA executes its function by modulating bone morphogenetic protein signaling by posttranscriptionally silencing the Cabut/KLF10/11 transcription factor. Furthermore, this miRNA is transiently down-regulated during stress to expand the stem cell number and thereby meet tissue demand. Overall, our study indicates that this tissue-specific, miRNA-mediated regulation of a core signaling pathway can serve as an effective strategy for controlling tissue regeneration.