Dorsalizing and neuralizing properties of Xdsh, a maternally expressed Xenopus homolog of dishevelled.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
Signaling factors of the Wnt proto-oncogene family are implicated in dorsal axis formation during vertebrate development, but the molecular mechanism of this process is not known. Studies in Drosophila have indicated that the dishevelled gene product is required for wingless (Wnt1 homolog) signal transduction. We demonstrate that injection of mRNA encoding a Xenopus homolog of dishevelled (Xdsh) into prospective ventral mesodermal cells triggers a complete dorsal axis formation in Xenopus embryos. Lineage tracing experiments show that cells derived from the injected blastomere contribute to anterior and dorsal structures of the induced axis. In contrast to its effect on mesoderm, overexpression of Xdsh mRNA in prospective ectodermal cells triggers anterior neural tissue differentiation. These studies suggest that Wnt signal transduction pathway is conserved between Drosophila and vertebrates and point to a role for maternal Xdsh product in dorsal axis formation and in neural induction.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Sokol, SY; Klingensmith, J; Perrimon, N; Itoh, K
Published Date
- June 1995
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 121 / 6
Start / End Page
- 1637 - 1647
PubMed ID
- 7600981
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0950-1991
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1242/dev.121.6.1637
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- England