Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 26, 2026
11:48
Grafting of Beads into Developing Chicken Embryo Limbs to Identify Signal Transduction Pathways Affecting Gene Expression
Published on: January 17, 2016
A chicken Wnt gene, Wnt-11, is involved in dermal development
N Tanda1, H Ohuchi, H Yoshioka
1Department of Pharmacology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki City, Japan.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
|June 6, 1995
Summary
Researchers identified a new Wnt gene, Wnt-11, in chick embryos. Its unique expression pattern suggests a key role in dermal development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The Wnt gene family plays crucial roles in embryonic development.
- Understanding the specific functions of Wnt gene family members is essential for deciphering developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize a novel Wnt gene, Wnt-11, from chick embryos.
- To investigate the spatiotemporal expression pattern of Wnt-11 during chick embryogenesis.
- To elucidate the potential role of Wnt-11 in embryonic development, particularly in dermal formation.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of Wnt-11 from a chick embryo cDNA library.
- In situ hybridization techniques to examine gene expression patterns during embryogenesis.
Main Results:
- Wnt-11, a cysteine-rich secretory protein, was identified and found to be distantly related to other Wnt proteins.
- Wnt-11 expression was observed starting at stage 14 in the dorsolateral somites, later restricting to the dermatome.
- Unlike other Wnt genes, Wnt-11 was not detected in the neuroepithelium.
- Post-stage 24, Wnt-11 expression was noted in the subectodermal mesenchyme of limb and feather buds.
Conclusions:
- The distinct expression profile of Wnt-11 in the paraxial mesoderm and dermatome indicates a significant role in dermal development.
- Wnt-11 represents a novel player in the Wnt signaling pathway with specific functions in embryonic skin formation.
Related Concept Videos
01:33Pleiotropy
Pleiotropy is the phenomenon in which a single gene impacts multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. For example, defects in the SOX10 gene cause Waardenburg Syndrome Type 4, or WS4, which can cause defects in pigmentation, hearing impairments, and an absence of intestinal contractions necessary for elimination. This diversity of phenotypes results from the expression pattern of SOX10 in early embryonic and fetal development. SOX10 is found in neural crest cells that form melanocytes,...
01:56Gastrulation
Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...
01:51Determination
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 contrast, determination...
02:54Canonical 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...
01:41Non-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...
02:54Canonical 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...