Wnt signaling controls the timing of oligodendrocyte development in the spinal cord.
During spinal cord development, oligodendrocytes are generated from a restricted region of the ventral ventricular zone and then spread out into the entire spinal cord. These events are controlled by graded inductive and repressive signals derived from a local organizing center. Sonic hedgehog was identified as an essential ventral factor for oligodendrocyte lineage specification, whereas the dorsal cue was less clear. In this study, Wnt proteins were identified as the dorsal factors that directly inhibit oligodendrocyte development. Wnt signaling through a canonical beta-catenin pathway prevents its differentiation from progenitor to an immature state. Addition of rmFz-8/Fc, a Wnt antagonist, increased the number of immature oligodendrocytes in the spinal cord explant culture, demonstrating that endogenous Wnt signaling controls oligodendrocyte development.
Shimizu
Takeshi
T
Laboratory of Neurobiology and Bioinformatics, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki National Research Institute, Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan.
Kagawa
Tetsushi
T
Wada
Tamaki
T
Muroyama
Yuko
Y
Takada
Shinji
S
Ikenaka
Kazuhiro
K
D000818:Animals; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D019556:COS Cells; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000502:physiology*; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000196:embryology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014162:Transfection; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D060508:Wnt3 Protein
D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D060508:Wnt3 Protein; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine