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Related Concept Videos

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
Catenins01:23

Catenins

Catenins are characterized by multiple binding domains and dynamic structures that allow them to function as linker proteins in cell junction complexes. All catenins, except α-catenin, contain a characteristic protein sequence called the armadillo repeat and are therefore also called armadillo proteins.
Catenins in Cell Junctions
Catenins bind to cell adhesion molecules such as cadherins and link them to different cytoskeletal proteins depending on the type of cell junction. At the adherens...
Tension Response at Adherens Junctions01:26

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions

The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin homology) domains...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Reconstitution Of β-catenin Degradation In Xenopus Egg Extract
09:41

Reconstitution Of β-catenin Degradation In Xenopus Egg Extract

Published on: June 18, 2014

Axis formation--beta-catenin catches a Wnt.

Jason R Jessen1, Lila Solnica-Krezel

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, USA.

Cell
|March 31, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Researchers identified Wnt11 as a dorsalizing factor crucial for Xenopus laevis axis formation. This finding emphasizes the role of extracellular cofactors in directing canonical or noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • The Wnt signaling pathway is essential for embryonic development.
  • Specifying the body axis in early embryos involves complex signaling cascades.
  • Identifying key factors that initiate dorsal axis formation is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the dorsalizing factor involved in Xenopus laevis axis formation.
  • To elucidate the role of Wnt11 in canonical Wnt signaling.
  • To understand how extracellular cofactors influence Wnt pathway activation.

Main Methods:

  • Gene expression analysis in Xenopus laevis embryos.
  • Functional assays to determine the role of Wnt11.
  • Biochemical studies on Wnt pathway components.

More Related Videos

The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay
08:01

The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay

Published on: October 27, 2014

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro
11:14

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro

Published on: December 10, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Reconstitution Of β-catenin Degradation In Xenopus Egg Extract
09:41

Reconstitution Of β-catenin Degradation In Xenopus Egg Extract

Published on: June 18, 2014

The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay
08:01

The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay

Published on: October 27, 2014

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro
11:14

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro

Published on: December 10, 2021

Main Results:

  • Wnt11 was identified as a key component of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway.
  • Wnt11 acts as a dorsalizing factor in Xenopus laevis.
  • Extracellular cofactors play a critical role in determining pathway activation.

Conclusions:

  • Wnt11 is a pivotal factor in specifying the Xenopus laevis embryonic axis.
  • The study highlights the importance of extracellular signals in Wnt pathway regulation.
  • This work advances our understanding of developmental signaling.