Dopamine as a regulator of blood progenitor cell proliferation in Drosophila

What is it about?

Through this work, we describe that the blood-progenitor cells are self-sustaining in terms of synthesising and sensing a neurotransmitter, dopamine, which is classically known to be a sleep and mood regulator in animals including humans. The blood-progenitor cells show a build-up of intracellular dopamine with time and this is necessary to sustain the proliferation of these progenitor cells. Blocking the synthesis and sensing of dopamine by these blood-progenitor cells resulted in a small lymph gland size (the hematopoietic organ of Drosophila), showcasing that dopamine acts as a pro-growth cue. Interestingly, there is a time-dependent requirement of the different dopamine modules on the cell cycle phasing of the progenitor cells. The dopamine synthesis and uptake in the progenitors is important for an early S to G2 phase cell cycle transition. Later on the dopamine signalling, by receptor Dop2R, becomes key to drive a G2 to M phase transition.

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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The significance of this work lies in highlighting how multi-faceted neurotransmitter molecules are, apart from their well characterised roles in the nervous system. They can be employed by the immune system of an organism, in this case of fruit flies, for fundamental yet important processes like cell cycle phase regulation and growth.

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