Abstract
The JAK/STAT pathway plays important roles in vertebrate and invertebrate development. The recent cloning and characterisation of the receptor in Drosophila shows that the pathway is conserved across phyla. In this review we describe current knowledge of the pathway and use genome data to discuss what elements are present in Drosophila. We also summarise recent work describing the involvement of the JAK/STAT pathway in oogenesis and spermatogenesis. Interestingly, the JAK/STAT pathway maintains the niche required for germline stem cell maintenance in the testis, providing the first molecular characterisation of a stem cell niche. Drosophila's streamlined pathway offers a simple model to find new elements and analyse the function of existing ones.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Review
MeSH terms
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Animals
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DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
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DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
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Drosophila Proteins / genetics
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Drosophila Proteins / metabolism*
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Drosophila melanogaster / genetics
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Drosophila melanogaster / physiology*
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Female
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Interleukin-6 / genetics
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Interleukin-6 / metabolism
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Janus Kinase 1
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Male
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Membrane Proteins*
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Models, Biological
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Oogenesis / physiology
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Ovary / cytology
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Ovary / physiology
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Protein Structure, Tertiary
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Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics
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Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism*
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Receptors, Interleukin / metabolism
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STAT1 Transcription Factor
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Signal Transduction / physiology*
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Spermatogenesis / physiology
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Stem Cells / physiology
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Trans-Activators / genetics
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Trans-Activators / metabolism*
Substances
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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Drosophila Proteins
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Interleukin-6
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Membrane Proteins
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Receptors, Interleukin
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STAT1 Transcription Factor
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Trans-Activators
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dome protein, Drosophila
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Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
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Janus Kinase 1