PUBLICATION

All four zebrafish Wnt7 genes are expressed during early brain development

Authors

Beretta, C.A., Brinkmann, I., and Carl, M.

ID

ZDB-PUB-110214-15

Date

2011

Source

Gene expression patterns : GEP 11(3-4): 277-84 (Journal)

Registered Authors

Beretta, Carlo, Carl, Matthias

Keywords

Wnt-signalling, Zebrafish, Wnt7, CNS

MeSH Terms

Phylogeny
Telencephalon/anatomy & histology
Telencephalon/embryology
Telencephalon/metabolism
Monte Carlo Method
Rhombencephalon/anatomy & histology
Rhombencephalon/embryology
Rhombencephalon/metabolism
Hedgehog Proteins/metabolism
Markov Chains
Zebrafish/embryology
Zebrafish/genetics
Zebrafish/metabolism*
Brain/embryology
Brain/metabolism*
Wnt Proteins/genetics
Wnt Proteins/metabolism*
Likelihood Functions
In Situ Hybridization
Models, Genetic
Diencephalon/anatomy & histology
Diencephalon/embryology
Diencephalon/metabolism
Mesencephalon/anatomy & histology
Mesencephalon/embryology
Mesencephalon/metabolism
Sequence Alignment
Animals

(all 28)

PubMed

21300182 Full text @ Gene Expr. Patterns

Abstract

Wnt-signalling is involved in a number of biological processes in the course of embryonic development, cell fate determination, proliferation, stem cell maintenance and oncogenesis. Wnt ligands are secreted glycoproteins and the number of Wnt isoforms varies between five in nematodes and twenty-seven in fish. The highly conserved group of Wnt7 genes has been found to signal via at least three Wnt-signalling pathways dependent on the developmental context. These ligands have been identified as important regulators in a number of processes ranging from formation of bones, lungs, kidneys, reproductive organs and placenta to vasculogenesis and synaptogenesis in the brain. The importance of Wnt7 function is underscored by their implication in disease syndromes in man. Unlike the single Wnt7a and Wnt7b mammalian genes we find that the zebrafish genome contains two paralogues genes for each Wnt7 ligand. Here we compare these four Wnt7 genes evolutionarily and analyse their expression during the first two days of embryonic development. We find Wnt7 genes mainly expressed in a number of CNS structures at developmental stages at which patterning and neural specification takes place. The timely and spatially overlapping as well as complementary gene expression suggests diverse as well as redundant involvements during brain development.

Genes / Markers

Figures