Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development
Published on: June 15, 2017
GSK3 at the edge: regulation of developmental specification and cell polarization
1Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
Abstract:
GSK3 is a multifunctional protein kinase that is pivotal for the regulation of metabolism, the cytoskeleton, and gene expression. Multicellular eukaryotes utilize GSK3 as a molecular switch to specify distinct cell fates, but also to organize these cells spatially within the developing organism. We discuss the central role of GSK3 in control of the Wnt, Hedgehog, cAMP (in Dictyostelium), and other signaling pathways, but also focus on significant new evidence that GSK3 is required to establish cell polarity.
Related Concept Videos
Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
Hedgehog Signaling Pathway
Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
TGF - β Signaling Pathway
GTPases and their Regulation
Large G-proteins, also known...

