JAK/STAT signaling regulates tissue outgrowth and male germline stem cell fate in Drosophila

Abstract

In multicellular organisms, biological activities are regulated by cell signaling. The various signal transduction pathways regulate cell fate, proliferation, migration, and polarity. Miscoordination of the communicative signals will lead to disasters like cancer and other fatal diseases. The JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway is one of the pathways, which was first identified in vertebrates and is highly conserved throughout evolution. Studying the JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway in Drosophila provides an excellent opportunity to understand the molecular mechanism of the cell regulation during development and tumor formation. In this review, we discuss the general overview of JAK/STAT signaling in Drosophila with respect to its functions in the eye development and stem cell fate determination.