| ZFIN ID: ZDB-PUB-051101-8 |
Wnt5 signaling in vertebrate pancreas development
Kim, H.J., Schleiffarth, J.R., Jessurun, J., Sumanas, S., Petryk, A., Lin, S., and Ekker, S.C.
| Date: | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Source: | BMC Biology 3: 23 (Journal) |
| Registered Authors: | Ekker, Stephen C., Lin, Shuo, Sumanas, Saulius |
| Keywords: | none |
| MeSH Terms: |
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| PubMed: | 16246260 Full text @ BMC Biol. |
Citation
Kim, H.J., Schleiffarth, J.R., Jessurun, J., Sumanas, S., Petryk, A., Lin, S., and Ekker, S.C. (2005) Wnt5 signaling in vertebrate pancreas development. BMC Biology. 3:23.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Signaling by the Wnt family of secreted glycoproteins through their receptors, the frizzled (Fz) family of seven-pass transmembrane proteins, is critical for numerous cell fate and tissue polarity decisions during development. RESULTS: We report a novel role of Wnt signaling in organogenesis using the formation of the islet during pancreatic development as a model tissue. We used the advantages of the zebrafish to visualize and document this process in living embryos and demonstrated that insulin-positive cells actively migrate to form an islet. We used morpholinos (MOs), sequence-specific translational inhibitors, and time-lapse imaging analysis to show that the Wnt-5 ligand and the Fz-2 receptor are required for proper insulin-cell migration in zebrafish. Histological analyses of islets in Wnt5a-/- mouse embryos showed that Wnt5a signaling is also critical for murine pancreatic insulin-cell migration. CONCLUSIONS: Our results implicate a conserved role of a Wnt5/Fz2 signaling pathway in islet formation during pancreatic development. This study opens the door for further investigation into a role of Wnt signaling in vertebrate organ development and disease.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION