Regional Calcium Dynamics in Drosophila Adult Midgut

• Although calcium dynamics are widely studied in cell culture, little has been reported on the topic for adult organs. We find striking regional and cell-type specific differences in calcium dynamics in the three major cell types of the adult Drosophila intestine. The adult fruit fly intestine is a compelling platform for studying intercellular dynamics and interactions. This stem cell-based epithelium is a reductionist model system of the mammalian small bowel with conserved features. The multi-cellular epithelium consists of three major cell types: progenitor cells that give rise to new cells (including stem cells), enteroendocrine cells that are hormone signaling cells, and enterocytes that are large absorptive cells.We find regional and cell-type specific variations in calcium signaling dynamics within this functionally compartmentalized organ, using confocal imaging of ex vivo cultured fly intestines. Progenitor and enteroendocrine cells indicate oscillatory intracellular calcium dynamics of slower and faster frequencies respectively, and enterocytes demonstrate the presence of traveling calcium waves. Our findings may establish a novel model for studying spatio-temporal organization of cellular to organ-level calcium dynamics in a renewable adult organ.

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