It takes two to tango, a dance between the cells of origin and cancer stem cells in the Drosophila larval brain

•Defects in the mechanisms that restrict type II neuroblast lineages cause tumors.•Aberrant expression of self-renewal factors in immature INPs can initiate tumors.•Extended competence of INPs to respond to self-renewal factors can initiate tumors.•Inter-conversion between the cell of origin and cancer stem cells fuels tumor growth.•Inhibiting self-renewal pathways may be an effective strategy to halt tumor growth.

During malignant transformation the cells of origin give rise to cancer stem cells which possess the capacity to undergo limitless rounds of self-renewing division, regenerating themselves while producing more tumor cells. Within normal tissues, a limitless self-renewal capacity is unique to the stem cells, which divide asymmetrically to produce more restricted progenitors. Accumulating evidence suggests that misregulation of the self-renewal machinery in stem cell progeny can lead to tumorigenesis, but how it influences the properties of the resulting tumors remains unclear. Studies of the type II neural stem cell (neuroblast) lineages in the Drosophila larval brain have identified a regulatory cascade that promotes commitment to a progenitor cell identity by restricting their response to the self-renewal machinery. Brain tumor (Brat) and Numb initiate this cascade by asymmetrically extinguishing the activity of the self-renewal factors. Subsequently, Earmuff (Erm) and the SWI/SNF complex stably restrict the competence of the progenitor cell to respond to reactivation of self-renewal mechanisms. Together, this cascade programs the progenitor cell to undergo limited rounds of division, generating exclusive differentiated progeny. Here we review how defects in this cascade lead to tumor initiation and how inhibiting the self-renewal mechanisms may be an effective strategy to block CSC expansion.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide