Induction of a secondary embryonic axis in zebrafish occurs following the overexpression of beta-catenin.
Formation of the vertebrate axis may involve a Wnt signaling cascade similar to the Drosophila wingless pathway. Zebrafish wnt8 is a candidate for involvement in axis specification insofar as it is expressed maternally and when overexpressed it can induce goosecoid, a transcription factor normally expressed in the embryonic shield. In this study we demonstrate that beta-catenin, a cadherin associated protein in the Wnt pathway, is expressed maternally in zebrafish and is widely distributed in the early embryo. Overexpressing beta-catenin in early zebrafish embryos induces goosecoid and ntl, ultimately leading to a duplication of a complete secondary axis. These data are consistent with the involvement of beta-catenin in a Wnt signaling pathway which is involved in mesoderm induction in zebrafish.
Kelly
G M
GM
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle 98195-7370, USA.
Erezyilmaz
D F
DF
Moon
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RT
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D010641:Phenotype; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D011506:Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D014981:Xenopus; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D015027:Zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin
C495266:CTNNB1 protein, Xenopus; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; C495269:ctnnb1 protein, zebrafish; C094521:wnt8a protein, zebrafish