image: Wolbachia have a remarkable tropism for the female germline stem cell niche (GSCN) in Drosophila mauritiana. Image of a succession of progressively more differentiated egg chambers (oldest is at the bottom) that originated from the germarium (top). Wolbachia (stained in green) are highly concentrated in the GSCN, which can be found at the leftmost tip of the germarium (left upper corner). The germline (shown in blue) arises from the germline stem cells (2-3 leftmost blue cells at the top) contacting the GSCN. The germline stem cell containing fusome material (shown in red) with the shape resembling an “exclamation point” (!) is dividing. The germline stem cell containing fusome material (shown in red) with the shape of an “exclamation point” (!) is dividing. This image relates to a paper that appeared in the Oct. 20, 2011, issue of Science Express, published by AAAS. The paper, by Dr. E.M. Fast of Boston University in Boston, Mass., and colleagues, was titled, "Wolbachia Enhance Drosophila Stem Cell Proliferation And Target the Germline Stem Cell Niche." view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Eva M. Fast and Horacio M. Frydman