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Related Concept Videos

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...
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...
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...
Whole Body Regeneration01:33

Whole Body Regeneration

Regeneration is the process of restoring injured or lost tissues, organs, or body parts. While simpler organisms generally show greater ability to regenerate their whole body, few complex animals show similarly exceptional regeneration. For example, planarian flatworms have a unique regenerative potential making them a popular study organism among biologists to understand the mechanisms of whole body regeneration. Other organisms, such as hydra, also show extreme regeneration potential; even...
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal01:12

Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal

Notch signaling was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is involved in cell lineage differentiation. Notch signaling regulates the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells or ISCs by controlling the expression of atonal homolog 1 or Atoh1. Atoh1 directs cells to differentiate into secretory cells.
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...

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Studying Wnt Signaling During Patterning of Conducting Airways
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Studying Wnt Signaling During Patterning of Conducting Airways

Published on: October 16, 2016

Wls-mediated Wnts differentially regulate distal limb patterning and tissue morphogenesis.

Xuming Zhu1, Huang Zhu, Lingling Zhang

  • 1Institute for Nutritional Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.

Developmental Biology
|March 2, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Wntless (Wls) gene depletion in limb development reveals distinct roles for Wnt proteins from mesenchyme and ectoderm. Ectodermal Wnts are crucial for distal limb tissue formation, cell survival, and tendon/ligament induction.

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Last Updated: May 24, 2026

Studying Wnt Signaling During Patterning of Conducting Airways
13:00

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Published on: October 16, 2016

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro
11:14

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Published on: December 10, 2021

Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients
08:10

Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients

Published on: December 14, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Wnt proteins are key morphogens in vertebrate limb development.
  • Dissecting Wnt functions is challenging due to signaling complexity and overlapping expression.
  • Wntless (Wls) is essential for Wnt secretion, offering a tool to study Wnt signaling effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To genetically dissect the roles of Wnt signaling in limb patterning and morphogenesis.
  • To investigate the specific functions of Wnt proteins secreted from limb mesenchyme versus ectoderm.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms by which Wnt signaling regulates distal limb development.

Main Methods:

  • Conditional depletion of the Wntless (Wls) gene in limb mesenchyme and ectoderm.
  • Analysis of limb development phenotypes following Wls gene deletion.
  • Cellular behavior analysis to understand Wnt-mediated effects on cell proliferation and survival.

Main Results:

  • Mesenchymal Wls depletion arrested limb outgrowth and prevented distal mesenchyme differentiation, potentially via Wnt5a.
  • Ectodermal Wls deletion led to distal limb tissue agenesis and mesenchyme regression.
  • Ectodermal Wnts promote mesenchymal cell proliferation and survival independently of FGF signaling.
  • Ectodermal Wnts are essential for distal tendon/ligament induction, myoblast migration, and dermis formation.

Conclusions:

  • Wnt proteins from limb mesenchyme and ectoderm differentially regulate undifferentiated distal limb mesenchyme.
  • Ectodermal Wnt signaling is vital for limb tissue morphogenesis, cell survival, and the induction of specific connective tissues and muscle precursors.
  • This study provides a detailed understanding of Wnt roles in vertebrate limb development.