title: Localization of planarian β-CATENIN-1 reveals multiple roles during anterior-posterior regeneration and organogenesis.
abstract: The β-catenin-dependent Wnt pathway exerts multiple context-dependent roles in embryonic and adult tissues. In planarians, β-catenin-1 is thought to specify posterior identities through the generation of an anteroposterior gradient. However, the existence of such a gradient has not been directly demonstrated. Here, we use a specific polyclonal antibody to demonstrate that nuclear β-CATENIN-1 exists as an anteroposterior gradient from the pre-pharyngeal region to the tail of the planarian Schmidtea polychroa High levels in the posterior region steadily decrease towards the pre-pharyngeal region but then increase again in the head region. During regeneration, β-CATENIN-1 is nuclearized in both anterior and posterior blastemas, but the canonical WNT1 ligand only influences posterior nuclearization. Additionally, β-catenin-1 is required for proper anterior morphogenesis, consistent with the high levels of nuclear β-CATENIN-1 observed in this region. We further demonstrate that β-CATENIN-1 is abundant in developing and differentiated organs, and is particularly required for the specification of the germline. Altogether, our findings provide the first direct evidence of an anteroposterior nuclear β-CATENIN-1 gradient in adult planarians and uncover novel, context-dependent roles for β-catenin-1 during anterior regeneration and organogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Institute of Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia E-08028, Spain.
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sureda-Gómez
authors.affiliation: Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Thørmohlensgate 55, Bergen 5008, Norway.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Martín-Durán
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Institute of Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia E-08028, Spain tadellc@ub.edu.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5446-1510
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Adell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D010932:Planarians / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D012038:Regeneration / Q000235:genetics*; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway / Q000235:genetics; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin
keywords: Axial patterning; Gradient; Organogenesis; Planarians; Wnt; β-catenin