Live imaging of the Drosophila ovarian niche shows spectrosome and centrosome dynamics during asymmetric germline stem cell division.

Drosophila female germline stem cells (GSCs) are found inside the cellular niche at the tip of the ovary. They undergo asymmetric divisions to renew the stem cell lineage and to produce sibling cystoblasts that will in turn enter differentiation. GSCs and cystoblasts contain spectrosomes, membranous structures essential for orientation of the mitotic spindle and that, particularly in GSCs, change shape depending on the cell cycle phase.

regulates niche ageing independently of the pathway in the ovary.

Proper stem cell activity in tissues ensures the correct balance between proliferation and differentiation, thus allowing tissue homeostasis and repair. The ovary develops well-defined niches that contain on average 2-4 germline stem cells (GSCs), whose maintenance depends on systemic signals and local factors. A known player in the decline of tissue homeostasis is ageing, which correlates with the waning of resident stem cell populations.