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Related Concept Videos

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

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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...
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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...
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Neurulation is the embryological process which forms the precursors of the central nervous system and occurs after gastrulation has established the three primary cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In humans, the majority of this system is formed via primary neurulation, in which the central portion of the ectoderm—originally appearing as a flat sheet of cells—folds upwards and inwards, sealing off to form a hollow neural tube. As development proceeds, the...
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During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In...
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Studying Wnt Signaling During Patterning of Conducting Airways
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Distinct requirements for Wntless in habenular development.

Yung-Shu Kuan1, Sara Roberson1,2, Courtney M Akitake1,2

  • 1Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA.

Developmental Biology
|June 28, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The Wntless (Wls) protein is crucial for Wnt signaling during zebrafish development. Wls mutations disrupt habenular nuclei formation and Wnt pathway activity, revealing its role in progenitor regulation.

Keywords:
DiencephalonLeft-right asymmetryWnt signalingZebrafishcxcr4bdbx1b

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Secreted Wnt proteins are vital for embryonic development, regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue patterning.
  • Wntless (Wls) is a transmembrane protein essential for Wnt secretion and signaling.
  • Wnt signaling influences zebrafish brain patterning and left-right asymmetry in the dorsal habenulae.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Wntless (Wls) in zebrafish habenular nuclei development using a mutagenesis screen.
  • To identify genes critical for dorsal forebrain development.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and confirmation of wls gene mutations in zebrafish.
  • Analysis of homozygous wls mutants for developmental defects.
  • Assessment of β-catenin-dependent transcription reporter activity.
  • Evaluation of Wnt-responsive gene expression in the dorsal diencephalon.
  • Quantification of cell populations contributing to the dorsal habenulae.

Main Results:

  • Homozygous wls mutants exhibit defects including absent ventral habenular nuclei, smaller dorsal habenulae and otic vesicles, and truncated jaw/fin cartilages.
  • Impaired canonical Wnt pathway signaling and reduced Wnt-responsive gene expression were observed in wls mutants.
  • Despite reduced size, dorsal habenulae in wls mutants retained left-right asymmetry.
  • A reduction in specific cell populations contributing to the dorsal habenulae was noted in wls mutants.

Conclusions:

  • Wntless (Wls) plays a critical role in the development of zebrafish habenular nuclei.
  • Distinct temporal requirements for Wls function in habenular development were identified.
  • Wnt signaling is newly implicated in the regulation of dorsal habenular progenitor cells.