Possible roles of Wnt in the shell growth of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis

Although the mechanisms of molluscan shell growth have been studied using mathematical models, little is known about the molecular basis underpinning shell morphogenesis. Here, we performed Wnt activation experiments to elucidate the potential roles of Wnt signaling in the shell growth of Lymnaea stagnalis. In general, we observed following three types of shell malformations in both dose- and developmental stage-dependent manners: (i) cap-shaped shell, (ii) cap-shaped shell with hydropic soft tissues, and (iii) compressed shell with a smaller number of coiling. We analyzed the morphologies of these malformed shells using the growing tube model, revealing that the compressed malformations show significantly larger values for T (torsion), with no significant changes in the values for the remaining parameters E (expansion) and C (curvature). We also found that cap-shaped malformations have significantly larger values for E, suggesting that the effects of BIO on shell formation may change during growth. Since the changes in T and/or E parameter values can greatly alter the shell morphologies from a planispiral or a cap-shaped one to various three-dimensional helices, changes in shell developmental processes possibly controlled by Wnt signaling may account for at least a part of the evolution of diverse shell forms in molluscs.