title: Increased β-catenin activity in the anterior neural plate induces ectopic mid-hindbrain characteristics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The early telencephalon shares molecular features with the early mid-hindbrain region. In particular, these two developing brain areas each have a signaling center that secretes FGFs and an adjacent one that secretes WNTs. WNTs and FGFs each play essential roles in regulating cell fates in both the telencephalon and mid-hindbrain. Despite this similarity, telencephalic and mid-hindbrain precursors express distinct genes and ultimately generate different cell types, tissue morphologies, and neural functions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here we show that genetically increasing the level of β-catenin, a mediator of canonical WNT signaling, in the anterior neural plate causes a loss of telencephalic characteristics and a gain of mid-hindbrain characteristics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results, together with previous ones demonstrating that increased WNT signaling in the anterior neural plate increases FGF expression, suggest that the levels of WNT and FGF signaling regulate telencephalic versus mid-hindbrain fates.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neuroscience and Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10464, USA.
authors.forename: Hunki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Paek
authors.forename: Michelle W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Antoine
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.forename: Jean M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hébert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D054258:Neural Plate / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012249:Rhombencephalon / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013687:Telencephalon / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C495267:CTNNB1 protein, mouse; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors
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