Wnt-6 is expressed in the ureter bud and induces kidney tubule development in vitro.
The embryonic kidney is a classic developmental model system for studying inductive tissue interactions that govern organogenesis. We report here that Wnt-6 is expressed in the ureter bud, and that cell lines expressing Wnt-6 induce nephrogenesis in vitro. Wnt-6 cells induce tubules with similar kinetics to spinal cord (SPC) and lead to induced expression of Pax2, Pax8, Sfrp2, and E-cadherin genes, early markers of tubulogenesis. Moreover, Wnt-6 signaling rescues tubulogenesis in mesenchyme separated from Wnt-4 mutant embryos and leads to activation of Wnt-4 transcription. Wnt-6 also induces a secondary axis in early Xenopus embryos. We conclude that Wnt-6 is a candidate for the ureter epithelium-derived signal that leads to activation of kidney tubulogenesis via Wnt-4.
Itäranta
Petri
P
Biocenter Oulu, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oulu, Linnanmaa 90570 Oulu, Finland.
Lin
Yanfeng
Y
Peräsaari
Juha
J
Roël
Giulietta
G
Destrée
Olivier
O
Vainio
Seppo
S
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000235:genetics*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000196:embryology*; D051379:Mice; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014513:Ureter / Q000196:embryology*; D051153:Wnt Proteins
D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051153:Wnt Proteins; C095936:Wnt6 protein, mouse