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Journal article

mTORC1 pathway activity biases cell fate choice

Abstract:
Pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into distinct cell types but the intracellular pathways controlling cell fate choice are not well understood. The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum is a simplified system to study choice preference as proliferating amoebae enter a developmental cycle upon starvation and differentiate into two major cell types, stalk and spores, organised in a multicellular fruiting body. Factors such as acidic vesicle pH predispose amoebae to one fate. Here we show that the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway has a role in cell fate bias in Dictyostelium. Inhibiting the mTORC1 pathway activity by disruption of Rheb (activator Ras homolog enriched in brain), or treatment with the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin prior to development, biases cells to a spore cell fate. Conversely activation of the pathway favours stalk cell differentiation. The Set1 histone methyltransferase, responsible for histone H3 lysine4 methylation, in Dictyostelium cells regulates transcription at the onset of development. Disruption of Set1 leads to high mTORC1 pathway activity and stalk cell predisposition. The ability of the mTORC1 pathway to regulate cell fate bias of cells undergoing differentiation offers a potential target to increase the efficiency of stem cell differentiation into a particular cell type.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1038/s41598-024-71298-2

Authors


More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
RDM
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
Biochemistry
Role:
Author


Publisher:
Springer Nature
Journal:
Scientific Reports More from this journal
Volume:
14
Issue:
1
Article number:
20832
Publication date:
2024-09-06
Acceptance date:
2024-08-27
DOI:
EISSN:
2045-2322


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
2025805
Local pid:
pubs:2025805
Source identifiers:
2243251
Deposit date:
2024-09-06

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