Niche-dependent modular regulation of the stem cell transcriptome separates cell identity and potential

One common mechanism to replace lost stem cells is dedifferentiation, in which progeny revert to stem cell identity. It is a paradox how stem cells and progeny retain the same stem cell potential while exhibiting distinct current identities of self-renewal, differentiation, and dedifferentiation.

Here, we show that the Drosophila male germline lineage solves this paradox via two parallel and complementary mechanisms to separate potential and identity. First, differentiating progeny maintain stem cell potency by inheriting perdurant stem cell mRNAs without actively transcribing them. Second, two known niche signals (Bmp and Jak-Stat) activate distinct sets of targets, defining three identities (self-renewal, differentiation, and dedifferentiation) based on the combination of their on/off states.