title: Wnt signaling and an APC-related gene specify endoderm in early C. elegans embryos.
abstract: In a 4-cell stage C. elegans embryo, signaling by the P2 blastomere induces anterior-posterior polarity in the adjacent EMS blastomere, leading to endoderm formation. We have taken genetic and reverse genetic approaches toward understanding the molecular basis for this induction. These studies have identified a set of genes with sequence similarity to genes that have been shown to be, or are implicated in, Wnt/Wingless signaling pathways in other systems. The C. elegans genes described here are related to wnt/wingless, porcupine, frizzled, beta-catenin/armadillo, and the human adenomatous polyposis coli gene, APC. We present evidence that there may be partially redundant inputs into endoderm specification and that a subset of these genes appear also to function in determining cytoskeletal polarity in certain early blastomeres.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Cancer Center, Worcester 01605, USA.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Rocheleau
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Downs
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wittmann
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bei
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Priess
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Mello
mesh_terms: D025601:Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein; D000818:Animals; D051186:Armadillo Domain Proteins; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000166:cytology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004627:Embryonic Induction; D004707:Endoderm / Q000166:cytology*; D051157:Frizzled Receptors; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: D025601:Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein; D051186:Armadillo Domain Proteins; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D051157:Frizzled Receptors; D019476:Insect Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C108315:Mom-5 protein, C elegans; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; D051176:beta Catenin; C058784:fz protein, Drosophila; C491189:mom-1 protein, C elegans; C074622:wg protein, Drosophila