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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

In Vitro Generation of Somite Derivatives from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: April 25, 2019
Tissue tension permits β-catenin phosphorylation to drive mesoderm specification in human embryonic stem cells
Nadia M E Ayad1, Aisha Almsoud2, Johnathon N Lakins3
1Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco and University of California, Berkeley, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
Abstract:
The role of morphogenetic forces in cell fate specification is an area of intense interest. Using an ectopically expressed nonphosphorylatable mutant of β-catenin (Y654F) in human embryonic stem cell colonies, we provide evidence that impeding tension-dependent Src-mediated β-catenin phosphorylation compromises BMP4-driven Brachyury (T) expression. This impediment also disrupts the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition essential for mesoderm specification. Mechanistically, the Y654F mutation prevents the translocation of the junctional and cytoskeletal pool of β-catenin to the nucleus. However, saturation of Wnt signaling with exogenous Wnt3a or the inhibition of GSK3β rescues mesoderm expression. These findings suggest that BMP4 initiates a force-dependent junctional β-catenin translocation upstream of both Wnt secretion and cytosolic Wnt/β-catenin stabilization to drive mesoderm specification. Ultimately, our work highlights the importance of force-dependent Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the self-organization of tissues during developmental processes, such as gastrulation, and emphasizes a role for fine-tuned molecular regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway.
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