Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 18, 2026
08:10
Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients
Published on: December 14, 2015
11.9K
Wnt and Hedgehog: Secretion of Lipid-Modified Morphogens
Anup Parchure1, Neha Vyas2, Satyajit Mayor3
1National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India; Current address: Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
Trends in Cell Biology
|November 15, 2017
Summary
Morphogens like Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnts exist in multiple forms, utilizing various carriers for transport. These diverse forms are crucial for specifying cell fate through paracrine signaling.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Signaling
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Morphogens are crucial signaling molecules that regulate cell fate determination.
- They are secreted from a localized source and act in a concentration-dependent manner.
- Canonical morphogens like Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnts are essential in developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the diverse secreted forms of Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnt morphogens.
- To identify novel mechanisms involved in morphogen transport and extracellular signaling.
- To understand how different morphogen forms contribute to specifying cell fate via paracrine signaling.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of secreted morphogen forms.
- Investigation of morphogen transport mechanisms.
- Evaluation of extracellular signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Identification of multiple secreted forms for lipid-anchored Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnts.
- Evidence for the involvement of diverse carriers in morphogen transport.
- Distinct extracellular forms suggest specialized functions in signaling.
Conclusions:
- Morphogen transport is more complex than previously thought, involving multiple carriers and secreted forms.
- These diverse morphogen forms likely mediate distinct paracrine signaling events.
- Understanding these mechanisms is key to comprehending cell fate specification during development.
Related Concept Videos
02:33Hedgehog Signaling Pathway
10.2K
The Hedgehog gene (Hh) was first discovered due to its control of the growth of disorganized, hair-like bristles phenotype in Drosophila, much like hedgehog spines. Hh plays a crucial role in the development of organs and the maintenance of homeostasis in both invertebrates and vertebrates. However, while Drosophila has only one Hh protein, mammals have multiple functional Hedgehog proteins - Sonic (Shh), Desert (Dhh), and Indian Hedgehog (Ihh). All of these homologous proteins have adapted to...
10.2K
02:54Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
10.7K
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...
10.7K
01:41Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
8.5K
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...
8.5K
03:14Notch Signaling Pathway
6.7K
The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
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...
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...
6.7K
01:12Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
2.5K
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...
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...
2.5K
01:22Role of Ephrin-Eph Signalling in Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
2.7K
Erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma receptor (Eph) and its ligand, Eph receptor-interacting protein (Ephrin) were first discovered in the human carcinoma cell line, hence the name. Ephrin-Eph interaction guides cells to reach their appropriate location in adult tissues. They also play an essential role in the immune system by helping in immune cell migration, adhesion, and activation. Based on their structure and function, Eph is divided into two classes — EphA and EphB.
2.7K