{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: DOS-3 mediates cell-non-autonomous DAF-16/FOXO activity in antagonizing age-related loss of C. elegans germline stem/progenitor cells.
{Author}: Zhang Z;Yang H;Fang L;Zhao G;Xiang J;Zheng JC;Qin Z;
{Journal}: Nat Commun
{Volume}: 15
{Issue}: 1
{Year}: 2024 Jun 8
{Factor}: 17.694
{DOI}: 10.1038/s41467-024-49318-6
{Abstract}: Age-related depletion of stem cells causes tissue degeneration and failure to tissue regeneration, driving aging at the organismal level. Previously we reported a cell-non-autonomous DAF-16/FOXO activity in antagonizing the age-related loss of germline stem/progenitor cells (GSPCs) in C. elegans, indicating that regulation of stem cell aging occurs at the organ system level. Here we discover the molecular effector that links the cell-non-autonomous DAF-16/FOXO activity to GSPC maintenance over time by performing a tissue-specific DAF-16/FOXO transcriptome analysis. Our data show that dos-3, which encodes a non-canonical Notch ligand, is a direct transcriptional target of DAF-16/FOXO and mediates the effect of the cell-non-autonomous DAF-16/FOXO activity on GSPC maintenance through activating Notch signaling in the germ line. Importantly, expression of a human homologous protein can functionally substitute for DOS-3 in this scenario. As Notch signaling controls the specification of many tissue stem cells, similar mechanisms may exist in other aging stem cell systems.