PUBLICATION

Canonical Wnt Signaling Dynamically Controls Multiple Stem Cell Fate Decisions during Vertebrate Body Formation

Authors
Martin, B.L., and Kimelman, D.
ID
ZDB-PUB-120125-34
Date
2012
Source
Developmental Cell   22(1): 223-232 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Kimelman, David, Martin, Benjamin
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Body Patterning*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Mesoderm/cytology
  • Mesoderm/metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • Stem Cells/cytology*
  • Stem Cells/metabolism
  • Vertebrates/metabolism*
  • Wnt Proteins/metabolism*
  • Xenopus laevis/genetics
  • Xenopus laevis/metabolism
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Zebrafish/metabolism
  • beta Catenin/metabolism*
PubMed
22264734 Full text @ Dev. Cell
Abstract

The vertebrate body forms in an anterior-to-posterior progression, driven by a population of undifferentiated cells at the posterior-most end of the embryo. Recent studies have demonstrated that these undifferentiated cells are multipotent stem cells, suggesting that local signaling factors specify cell fate. However, the mechanism of cell fate specification during this process is unknown. Using a combination of single cell transplantation and newly developed cell-autonomous inducible Wnt inhibitor and activator transgenic zebrafish lines, we show that canonical Wnt signaling is continuously necessary and sufficient to specify mesoderm from a bipotential neural/mesodermal precursor. Surprisingly, we also find that Wnt signaling functions subsequently within the mesoderm to specify somites instead of posterior vascular endothelium. Our results demonstrate that dynamic local Wnt signaling cues specify germ layer contribution and mesodermal tissue type specification of multipotent stem cells throughout the formation of the early vertebrate embryonic body.

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