Instructive role of Wnt/beta-catenin in sensory fate specification in neural crest stem cells.
Wnt signaling has recently emerged as a key factor in controlling stem cell expansion. In contrast, we show here that Wnt/beta-catenin signal activation in emigrating neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) has little effect on the population size and instead regulates fate decisions. Sustained beta-catenin activity in neural crest cells promotes the formation of sensory neural cells in vivo at the expense of virtually all other neural crest derivatives. Moreover, Wnt1 is able to instruct early NCSCs (eNCSCs) to adopt a sensory neuronal fate in a beta-catenin-dependent manner. Thus, the role of Wnt/beta-catenin in stem cells is cell-type dependent.
Lee
Hye-Youn
HY
Institute of Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH-Hönggerberg, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
Kléber
Maurice
M
Hari
Lisette
L
Brault
Véronique
V
Suter
Ueli
U
Taketo
Makoto M
MM
Kemler
Rolf
R
Sommer
Lukas
L
D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002465:Cell Movement; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000196:embryology; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008959:Models, Neurological; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D050818:Transcription Factor Brn-3; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D050818:Transcription Factor Brn-3; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; C495267:CTNNB1 protein, mouse; C102938:Neurog2 protein, mouse; C495246:Wnt1 protein, mouse