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Tsukiyama T. New insights in ubiquitin-dependent Wnt receptor regulation in tumorigenesis. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 2024; 60:449-465. [PMID: 38383910 PMCID: PMC11126518 DOI: 10.1007/s11626-024-00855-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Wnt signaling plays a crucial role in embryonic development and homeostasis maintenance. Delicate and sensitive fine-tuning of Wnt signaling based on the proper timings and positions is required to balance cell proliferation and differentiation and maintain individual health. Therefore, homeostasis is broken by tissue hypoplasia or tumor formation once Wnt signal dysregulation disturbs the balance of cell proliferation. The well-known regulatory mechanism of Wnt signaling is the molecular reaction associated with the cytoplasmic accumulation of effector β-catenin. In addition to β-catenin, most Wnt effector proteins are also regulated by ubiquitin-dependent modification, both qualitatively and quantitatively. This review will explain the regulation of the whole Wnt signal in four regulatory phases, as well as the different ubiquitin ligases and the function of deubiquitinating enzymes in each phase. Along with the recent results, the mechanism by which RNF43 negatively regulates the surface expression of Wnt receptors, which has recently been well understood, will be detailed. Many RNF43 mutations have been identified in pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancers and examined for their functional alteration in Wnt signaling. Several mutations facilitate or activate the Wnt signal, reversing the RNF43 tumor suppressor function into an oncogene. RNF43 may simultaneously play different roles in classical multistep tumorigenesis, as both wild-type and mutant RNF43 suppress the p53 pathway. We hope that the knowledge obtained from further research in RNF43 will be applied to cancer treatment in the future despite the fully unclear function of RNF43.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadasuke Tsukiyama
- Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, 15NW7, Kita-Ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8638, Japan.
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2
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Hatakeyama Y, Saito N, Mii Y, Takada R, Shinozuka T, Takemoto T, Naoki H, Takada S. Intercellular exchange of Wnt ligands reduces cell population heterogeneity during embryogenesis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1924. [PMID: 37024462 PMCID: PMC10079677 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37350-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling is required to maintain bipotent progenitors for neural and paraxial mesoderm cells, the neuromesodermal progenitor (NMP) cells that reside in the epiblast and tailbud. Since epiblast/tailbud cells receive Wnt ligands produced by one another, this exchange may average out the heterogeneity of Wnt signaling levels among these cells. Here, we examined this possibility by replacing endogenous Wnt3a with a receptor-fused form that activates signaling in producing cells, but not in neighboring cells. Mutant mouse embryos show a unique phenotype in which maintenance of many NMP cells is impaired, although some cells persist for long periods. The epiblast cell population of these embryos increases heterogeneity in Wnt signaling levels as embryogenesis progresses and are sensitive to retinoic acid, an endogenous antagonist of NMP maintenance. Thus, mutual intercellular exchange of Wnt ligands in the epiblast cell population reduces heterogeneity and achieves robustness to environmental stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudai Hatakeyama
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
- National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
- The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
| | - Nen Saito
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.
- National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.
- The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-3-2 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8511, Japan.
| | - Yusuke Mii
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
- National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
- The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
- PREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan
| | - Ritsuko Takada
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
- National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
| | - Takuma Shinozuka
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
- National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
- The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
- Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0192, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Takemoto
- Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tokushima University, 3-18-5 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima, Tokushima, 770-8503, Japan
| | - Honda Naoki
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-3-2 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8511, Japan
| | - Shinji Takada
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.
- National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.
- The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.
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3
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Schnirman RE, Kuo SJ, Kelly RC, Yamaguchi TP. The role of Wnt signaling in the development of the epiblast and axial progenitors. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 153:145-180. [PMID: 36967193 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how the body plan is established during embryogenesis remains a fundamental biological question. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a crucial and highly conserved role in body plan formation, functioning to polarize the primary anterior-posterior (AP) or head-to-tail body axis in most metazoans. In this chapter, we focus on the roles that the mammalian Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays to prepare the pluripotent epiblast for gastrulation, and to elicit the emergence of multipotent axial progenitors from the caudal epiblast. Interactions between Wnt and retinoic acid (RA), another powerful family of developmental signaling molecules, in axial progenitors will also be discussed. Gastrulation movements and somitogenesis result in the anterior displacement of the RA source (the rostral somites and lateral plate mesoderm (LPM)), from the posterior Wnt source (the primitive streak (PS)), leading to the establishment of antiparallel gradients of RA and Wnt that control the self-renewal and successive differentiation of neck, trunk and tail progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Samuel J Kuo
- NCI-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Ryan C Kelly
- NCI-Frederick, NIH, Frederick, MD, United States
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4
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Miwa T, Idiris A, Kumagai H. A novel cardiac differentiation method of a large number and uniformly-sized spheroids using microfabricated culture vessels. Regen Ther 2020; 15:18-26. [PMID: 32490063 PMCID: PMC7256449 DOI: 10.1016/j.reth.2020.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiomyocytes differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have great potential for regenerative medicine and drug discovery. In this study, we developed a novel protocol to more reproducibly and efficiently induce cardiomyocytes. A large quantity of uniformly sized spheroids were generated from hiPSCs using microfabricated vessels and induced into cardiac differentiation. In the middle of the cardiac differentiation process, spheroids were then dissociated into single cells and reaggregated into smaller spheroids using the microfabricated vessels. This reaggregation process raised WNT5A and WNT11 expression levels and improved the quality of cardiomyocyte population compared to that in a control group in which dissociation and reaggregation were not performed. Microfabricated culture vessels were used to form large number of hiPSC spheroids. High purity cardiomyocytes were obtained by reaggregation of hiPSC-derived spheroids. Maturation of cardiomyocyte was promoted by the reaggregation process. WNTs were also increased the reaggregation process during cardiac differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuaki Miwa
- Developing & Planning Division, Technology Development General Division, Electronics Company, AGC Inc., (reside in AGC Techno Glass Co.), 3583-5 Kawashiri Yoshida-cho, Haibara-gun, Shizuoka 421-0302, Japan
| | - Alimjan Idiris
- Biochemistry Team, Bio Science Division, Material Integration Laboratories, Technology General Division, AGC Inc., 1150 Hazawa-cho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 221-8755, Japan
| | - Hiromichi Kumagai
- AGC Research Institute, Inc., Shin-Marunouchi Bldg. 1-5-1, Marunouchi Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6530 Japan
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5
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Li X, Ortiz MA, Kotula L. The physiological role of Wnt pathway in normal development and cancer. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2020; 245:411-426. [PMID: 31996036 PMCID: PMC7082880 DOI: 10.1177/1535370220901683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the decades, many studies have illustrated the critical roles of Wnt signaling pathways in both developmental processes as well as tumorigenesis. Due to the complexity of Wnt signaling regulation, there are still questions to be addressed about ways cells are able to manipulate different types of Wnt pathways in order to fulfill the requirements for normal or cancer development. In this review, we will describe different types of Wnt signaling pathways and their roles in both normal developmental processes and their role in cancer development and progression. Additionally, we will briefly introduce new strategies currently in clinical trials targeting Wnt signaling pathway components for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- Department of Urology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Upstate Cancer Center, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Maria A Ortiz
- Department of Urology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Upstate Cancer Center, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Leszek Kotula
- Department of Urology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Upstate Cancer Center, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
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6
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Mazzotta S, Neves C, Bonner RJ, Bernardo AS, Docherty K, Hoppler S. Distinctive Roles of Canonical and Noncanonical Wnt Signaling in Human Embryonic Cardiomyocyte Development. Stem Cell Reports 2016; 7:764-776. [PMID: 27641648 PMCID: PMC5063467 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2016.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Revised: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling is a key regulator of vertebrate heart development; however, specific roles for human cardiomyocyte development remain uncertain. Here we use human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to analyze systematically in human cardiomyocyte development the expression of endogenous Wnt signaling components, monitor pathway activity, and dissect stage-specific requirements for canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling mechanisms using small-molecule inhibitors. Our analysis suggests that WNT3 and WNT8A, via FZD7 and canonical signaling, regulate BRACHYURY expression and mesoderm induction; that WNT5A/5B, via ROR2 and noncanonical signaling, regulate MESP1 expression and cardiovascular development; and that later in development WNT2, WNT5A/5B, and WNT11, via FZD4 and FZD6, regulate functional cardiomyocyte differentiation via noncanonical Wnt signaling. Our findings confirm in human development previously proposed roles for canonical Wnt signaling in sequential stages of vertebrate cardiomyogenesis, and identify more precise roles for noncanonical signaling and for individual Wnt signal and Wnt receptor genes in human cardiomyocyte development. hESCs were used to study Wnt signaling during human cardiomyocyte development Previously proposed roles for canonical Wnt signaling were confirmed in human Specific roles for noncanonical Wnt signaling were identified in cardiomyogenesis Individual Wnt signal and receptor genes were identified in human cardiomyogenesis
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Mazzotta
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Carlos Neves
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Rory J Bonner
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Andreia S Bernardo
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London NW7 1AA, UK; Anne McLaren Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, University of Cambridge, West Forvie Building, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Kevin Docherty
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Stefan Hoppler
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.
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7
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Cunningham TJ, Kumar S, Yamaguchi TP, Duester G. Wnt8a and Wnt3a cooperate in the axial stem cell niche to promote mammalian body axis extension. Dev Dyn 2015; 244:797-807. [PMID: 25809880 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Revised: 03/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vertebrate body axis extension occurs in a head-to-tail direction from a caudal progenitor zone that responds to interacting signals. Wnt/β-catenin signaling is critical for generation of paraxial mesoderm, somite formation, and maintenance of the axial stem cell pool. Body axis extension requires Wnt8a in lower vertebrates, but in mammals Wnt3a is required, although the anterior trunk develops in the absence of Wnt3a. RESULTS We examined mouse Wnt8a(-/-) and Wnt3a(-/-) single and double mutants to explore whether mammalian Wnt8a contributes to body axis extension and to determine whether a posterior growth function for Wnt8a is conserved throughout the vertebrate lineage. We find that caudal Wnt8a is expressed only during early somite stages and is required for normal development of the anterior trunk in the absence of Wnt3a. During this time, we show that Wnt8a and Wnt3a cooperate to maintain Fgf8 expression and prevent premature Sox2 up-regulation in the axial stem cell niche, critical for posterior growth. Similar to Fgf8, Wnt8a requires retinoic acid (RA) signaling to restrict its caudal expression boundary and possesses an upstream RA response element that binds RA receptors. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide new insight into interaction of caudal Wnt-FGF-RA signals required for body axis extension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Cunningham
- Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Sandeep Kumar
- Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Terry P Yamaguchi
- Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, NCI-Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Gregg Duester
- Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, California
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8
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Andre P, Song H, Kim W, Kispert A, Yang Y. Wnt5a and Wnt11 regulate mammalian anterior-posterior axis elongation. Development 2015; 142:1516-27. [PMID: 25813538 DOI: 10.1242/dev.119065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2014] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Mesoderm formation and subsequent anterior-posterior (A-P) axis elongation are fundamental aspects of gastrulation, which is initiated by formation of the primitive streak (PS). Convergent extension (CE) movements and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are important for A-P axis elongation in vertebrate embryos. The evolutionarily conserved planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway regulates CE, and Wnts regulate many aspects of gastrulation including CE and EMT. However, the Wnt ligands that regulate A-P axis elongation in mammalian development remain unknown. Wnt11 and Wnt5a regulate axis elongation in lower vertebrates, but only Wnt5a, not Wnt11, regulates mammalian PCP signaling and A-P axis elongation in development. Here, by generating Wnt5a; Wnt11 compound mutants, we show that Wnt11 and Wnt5a play redundant roles during mouse A-P axis elongation. Both genes regulate trunk notochord extension through PCP-controlled CE of notochord cells, establishing a role for Wnt11 in mammalian PCP. We show that Wnt5a and Wnt11 are required for proper patterning of the neural tube and somites by regulating notochord formation, and provide evidence that both genes are required for the generation and migration of axial and paraxial mesodermal precursor cells by regulating EMT. Axial and paraxial mesodermal precursors ectopically accumulate in the PS at late gastrula stages in Wnt5a(-/-); Wnt11(-/-) embryos and these cells ectopically express epithelial cell adhesion molecules. Our data suggest that Wnt5a and Wnt11 regulate EMT by inducing p38 (Mapk14) phosphorylation. Our findings provide new insights into the role of Wnt5a and Wnt11 in mouse early development and also in cancer metastasis, during which EMT plays a crucial role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Andre
- Genetic Disease Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Hai Song
- Genetic Disease Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Wantae Kim
- Genetic Disease Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Andreas Kispert
- Institut für Molekularbiologie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover D-30625, Germany
| | - Yingzi Yang
- Genetic Disease Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA Department of Developmental Biology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
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9
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Ferrer-Vaquer A, Hadjantonakis AK. Birth defects associated with perturbations in preimplantation, gastrulation, and axis extension: from conjoined twinning to caudal dysgenesis. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2012; 2:427-42. [PMID: 24014416 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Congenital malformations represent approximately 3 in 100 live births within the human population. Understanding their pathogenesis and ultimately formulating effective treatments are underpinned by knowledge of the events and factors that regulate normal embryonic development. Studies in model organisms, primarily in the mouse, the most prominent genetically tractable mammalian model, have equipped us with a rudimentary understanding of mammalian development from early lineage commitment to morphogenetic processes. In this way, information provided by studies in the mouse can, in some cases, be used to draw parallels with other mammals, including human. Here, we provide an overview of our current understanding of the general sequence of developmental events from early cell cleavages to gastrulation and axis extension occurring in human embryos. We will also review some of the rare birth defects occurring at these stages, in particular those resulting in conjoined twinning or caudal dysgenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Ferrer-Vaquer
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, NY, USA
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10
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Wang J, Sinha T, Wynshaw-Boris A. Wnt signaling in mammalian development: lessons from mouse genetics. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2012; 4:4/5/a007963. [PMID: 22550229 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a007963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Wnts are evolutionarily conserved signaling ligands critical for animal development. Genetic engineering in the mouse has enabled investigators to acquire a detailed activation profile of the β-catenin-dependent canonical Wnt pathway during mouse development, and to manipulate Wnt pathway activities with great spatial and temporal precision. Together, these studies have not only revealed important functions of Wnt signaling at multiple stages of early mouse development, but also elucidated how the Wnt pathway interacts with other pathways to form signaling networks that confer the unique features of mammalian embryogenesis. Additionally, the planar cell polarity pathway has emerged as an essential β-catenin independent noncanonical Wnt pathway that coordinates cell polarity and regulates tissue morphogenesis in various mammalian developmental processes. Importantly, studies of Wnt signaling in mouse development have also revealed important pathogenic mechanisms of several congenital disorders in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianbo Wang
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA.
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11
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Tremblay KD. Inducing the liver: understanding the signals that promote murine liver budding. J Cell Physiol 2011; 226:1727-31. [PMID: 20857423 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.22409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The endoderm emerges as an epithelial sheet that covers the surface of the developing murine embryo. This tissue will produce the entire gut tube as well as associated digestive and respiratory organs including the thyroid, thymus, lung, liver, and pancreas. The emergence of each endodermal organ occurs in a temporally distinct manner that is dependant upon reciprocal inductive interactions between the endoderm and the underlying mesoderm. The emergence of the hepatic endoderm, which occurs using a morphological process termed liver budding, initiates during early somitogenesis in the mouse at approximately 8.25 days post-coitum (dpc). Explant and transplant studies performed in chicken and mouse have demonstrated that secreted signals from adjacent mesodermal tissues initiate the hepatic gene program from ventral-fated endoderm. Here, we review the data in support of the roles of members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), and Wnt signaling pathways in liver budding and discover that little is known about the precise endogenous signals involved in the molecular and morphological induction of liver budding in the mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly D Tremblay
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA.
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12
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Tbx6-dependent Sox2 regulation determines neural or mesodermal fate in axial stem cells. Nature 2011; 470:394-8. [PMID: 21331042 PMCID: PMC3042233 DOI: 10.1038/nature09729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2010] [Accepted: 11/27/2010] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The classical view of neural plate development held that it arises from the ectoderm, after its separation from the mesodermal and endodermal lineages. However, recent cell lineage tracing experiments indicate that the caudal neural plate and paraxial mesoderm are generated from common bipotential axial stem cells originating from the caudal lateral epiblast (CLE)1,2. Tbx6 null mutant mouse embryos which produce ectopic neural tubes at the expense of paraxial mesoderm3 must provide a clue to the regulatory mechanism underlying this neural versus mesodermal fate choice. Here we demonstrate that Tbx6-dependent regulation of Sox2 determines the fate of axial stem cells. In wild-type embryos, enhancer N1 of the neural primordial gene Sox2 is activated in the CLE, and the cells staying in the superficial layer sustain N1 activity and activate Sox2 expression in the neural plate4-6. In contrast, the cells destined to become mesoderm activate Tbx6 and turn off enhancer N1 before migrating into the paraxial mesoderm compartment. In Tbx6 mutant embryos, however, enhancer N1 activity persists in the paraxial mesoderm compartment, eliciting ectopic Sox2 activation and transforming the paraxial mesoderm into neural tubes. An enhancer N1-specific deletion mutation introduced into Tbx6 mutant embryos prevented this Sox2 activation in the mesodermal compartment and subsequent development of ectopic neural tubes, indicating that Tbx6 regulates Sox2 via enhancer N1. Tbx6-dependent repression of Wnt3a in the paraxial mesodermal compartment is implicated in this regulatory process. Paraxial mesoderm-specific misexpression of a Sox2 transgene in wild type embryos resulted in ectopic neural tube development. Thus, Tbx6 represses Sox2 by inactivating enhancer N1 to inhibit neural development, and this is an essential step for the specification of paraxial mesoderm from the axial stem cells.
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13
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Retinoic acid and Wnt/beta-catenin have complementary roles in anterior/posterior patterning embryos of the basal chordate amphioxus. Dev Biol 2009; 332:223-33. [PMID: 19497318 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2009.05.571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2008] [Revised: 05/26/2009] [Accepted: 05/27/2009] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
A role for Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in axial patterning has been demonstrated in animals as basal as cnidarians, while roles in axial patterning for retinoic acid (RA) probably evolved in the deuterostomes and may be chordate-specific. In vertebrates, these two pathways interact both directly and indirectly. To investigate the evolutionary origins of interactions between these two pathways, we manipulated Wnt/beta-catenin and RA signaling in the basal chordate amphioxus during the gastrula stage, which is the RA-sensitive period for anterior/posterior (A/P) patterning. The results show that Wnt/beta-catenin and RA signaling have distinctly different roles in patterning the A/P axis of the amphioxus gastrula. Wnt/beta-catenin specifies the identity of the ends of the embryo (high Wnt = posterior; low Wnt = anterior) but not intervening positions. Thus, upregulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling induces ectopic expression of posterior markers at the anterior tip of the embryo. In contrast, RA specifies position along the A/P axis, but not the identity of the ends of the embryo-increased RA signaling strongly affects the domains of Hox expression along the A/P axis but has little or no effect on the expression of either anterior or posterior markers. Although the two pathways may both influence such things as specification of neuronal identity, interactions between them in A/P patterning appear to be minimal.
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