Transdifferentiation generates specialized cell types independent of stem or progenitor cells. Despite the unique process, it remains poorly understood how transdifferentiation is regulated in vivo. Here we reveal a mechanism of environmental control of blood cell transdifferentiation in a Drosophila model of hematopoiesis. Functional lineage tracing provides evidence for transdifferentiation from macrophage-like plasmatocytes to crystal cells that execute melanization. Interestingly, this transdifferentiation is promoted by neuronal activity of a specific subset of sensory neurons, in the caudal sensory cones of the larva. Crystal cells develop from plasmatocyte clusters surrounding the sensory cones, triggered by environmental conditions: oxygen sensing, and the atypical guanylyl cyclase Gyc88E specifically expressed in the sensory cone neurons, drive plasmatocyte-to-crystal cell transdifferentiation. Our findings reveal an unexpected functional and molecular link of environment-monitoring sensory neurons that govern blood cell transdifferentiation in vivo, suggesting similar principles in vertebrate systems where environmental sensors and blood cell populations coincide.

中文翻译：

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果蝇中氧敏感神经元对血细胞转分化的调节

转分化产生独立于干细胞或祖细胞的专门细胞类型。尽管有独特的过程，但对如何在体内调节转分化仍知之甚少。在这里我们揭示了果蝇造血模型中血细胞转分化的环境控制机制。功能谱系追踪为巨噬细胞样浆细胞向执行黑色素化的晶体细胞的转分化提供了证据。有趣的是，这种转分化作用是由幼虫的尾部感觉视锥细胞中特定的感觉神经元子集的神经元活动促进的。晶体细胞是由周围环境中的感觉细胞周围的浆细胞形成的，这些环境条件是由氧气引起的，以及在感觉细胞神经元中特别表达的非典型鸟苷基环化酶Gyc88E，驱动浆细胞向晶体细胞的转分化。我们的发现揭示了环境监测的感觉神经元在体内控制血细胞转分化的意想不到的功能和分子联系，这表明在环境传感器和血细胞数量相重合的脊椎动物系统中存在相似的原理。