title: A beta-catenin/engrailed chimera selectively suppresses Wnt signaling.
abstract: beta-catenin plays an integral role in cell-cell adhesion by linking the cadherin complex of the adherens junction to the underlying actin cytoskeleton. In addition, beta-catenin transduces intracellular signals within the Wnt developmental pathway that are crucial to the proper establishment of embryonic axes and pattern formation of early mesoderm and ectoderm. For example, in the context of a defined dorsal 'organizer' region of early Xenopus embryos, beta-catenin enters the nucleus and associates with transcription factors of the HMG (High Mobility Group) Lef/Tcf protein family. Consequently, genes such as siamois, a homeobox gene contributing to the specification of the dorsoanterior axis, are activated. To further examine the role that beta-catenin plays in Wnt signaling, we generated a chimeric protein, beta-Engrailed (beta-Eng), in which the C-terminal trans-activation domain of beta-catenin is replaced with the transcriptional repression domain of Drosophila Engrailed. Dorsal overexpression of this mRNA in early Xenopus embryos leads to suppression of organizer-specific molecular markers such as siamois, Xnr-3 and goosecoid, corresponding with the dramatic morphological ventralization of embryos. Ventralized embryos further exhibit reduced activity of the Wnt pathway, as indicated by the loss of the notochord/organizer marker, chordin. Importantly, beta-Eng associates and functions normally with the known components of the cadherin complex, providing the experimental opportunity to repress beta-catenin's signaling function apart from its role in cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Montross
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: McCrea
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000235:genetics; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D008156:Luciferases; D020897:Organizers, Embryonic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D014981:Xenopus; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495266:CTNNB1 protein, Xenopus; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C093133:SIA1 protein, Xenopus; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; C106185:engrailed homeobox proteins; D008156:Luciferases; D002118:Calcium