{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T11:03:08Z","timestamp":1785409388555,"version":"3.56.0"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,15]]},"group-title":"Developmental Biology","reference-count":58,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,15]],"date-time":"2025-05-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1747267200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"award":["R15 GM154246"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R15 GM154246"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01cwqze88","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["R35 GM136270"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R35 GM136270"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01cwqze88","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,27]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  Stem cells require signals from a cellular microenvironment known as the niche that regulates identity, location, and division of stem cells. Niche cell identity must be properly specified during development to form a tissue capable of functioning in the adult. Here, we show that the Tbx1 ortholog\n                  <jats:italic>org1<\/jats:italic>\n                  is expressed in\n                  <jats:italic>Drosophila<\/jats:italic>\n                  testis niche cells in response to Slit and FGF signals.\n                  <jats:italic>org1<\/jats:italic>\n                  is expressed during niche development and is required to specify niche cell identity.\n                  <jats:italic>org1<\/jats:italic>\n                  mutants specified fewer niche cells, and those cells showed disruption of niche-specific markers, including loss of the niche adhesion protein Fas3 and reduced\n                  <jats:italic>hedgehog<\/jats:italic>\n                  expression. We found that\n                  <jats:italic>org1<\/jats:italic>\n                  expression in somatic gonadal precursors is capable of inducing formation of additional niche cells. Disrupted niche identity in\n                  <jats:italic>org1<\/jats:italic>\n                  mutants resulted in niche assembly and functionality defects. We find the conserved transcription factor\n                  <jats:italic>islet<\/jats:italic>\n                  is expressed in response to\n                  <jats:italic>org1<\/jats:italic>\n                  and show that\n                  <jats:italic>islet<\/jats:italic>\n                  functions downstream to mediate niche identity and assembly. This work identifies a novel role for\n                  <jats:italic>org1<\/jats:italic>\n                  in niche establishment.\n                <\/jats:p>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Summary Statement<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    Specification of niche identity is crucial to establish a functional stem cell microenvironment. Using a translatable model, we show that niche expression of\n                    <jats:italic>org1<\/jats:italic>\n                    influences\n                    <jats:italic>islet<\/jats:italic>\n                    to specify niche identity.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1101\/2025.05.09.653127","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,15]],"date-time":"2025-05-15T09:00:13Z","timestamp":1747299613000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Tbx1 ortholog\n                  <i>org-1<\/i>\n                  is required to establish testis stem cell niche identity in\n                  <i>Drosophila<\/i>"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-9675-1371","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Patrick","family":"Hofe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-3803-8218","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ariel","family":"Harrington","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tynan","family":"Gardner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4131-5511","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stephen","family":"DiNardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5482-5882","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lauren","family":"Anllo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2025103001550556000_2025.05.09.653127v2.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1242\/dev.086413"},{"key":"2025103001550556000_2025.05.09.653127v2.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.devcel.2022.03.009"},{"key":"2025103001550556000_2025.05.09.653127v2.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ydbio.2018.12.014"},{"key":"2025103001550556000_2025.05.09.653127v2.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Battye, R. , Stevens, A. , Perry, R. 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