Integration of canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways patterns the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior axis of sea urchin embryos.

Patterning the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior (AP) axis is a critical event in the early development of deuterostome embryos. However, the mechanisms that regulate the specification and patterning of the neuroectoderm are incompletely understood. Remarkably, the anterior neuroectoderm (A...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ryan C Range, Robert C Angerer, Lynne M Angerer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013-01-01
Series:PLoS Biology
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001467&type=printable
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850161553210343424
author Ryan C Range
Robert C Angerer
Lynne M Angerer
author_facet Ryan C Range
Robert C Angerer
Lynne M Angerer
author_sort Ryan C Range
collection DOAJ
description Patterning the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior (AP) axis is a critical event in the early development of deuterostome embryos. However, the mechanisms that regulate the specification and patterning of the neuroectoderm are incompletely understood. Remarkably, the anterior neuroectoderm (ANE) of the deuterostome sea urchin embryo expresses many of the same transcription factors and secreted modulators of Wnt signaling, as does the early vertebrate ANE (forebrain/eye field). Moreover, as is the case in vertebrate embryos, confining the ANE to the anterior end of the embryo requires a Wnt/β-catenin-dependent signaling mechanism. Here we use morpholino- or dominant negative-mediated interference to demonstrate that the early sea urchin embryo integrates information not only from Wnt/β-catenin but also from Wnt/Fzl5/8-JNK and Fzl1/2/7-PKC pathways to provide precise spatiotemporal control of neuroectoderm patterning along its AP axis. Together, through the Wnt1 and Wnt8 ligands, they orchestrate a progressive posterior-to-anterior wave of re-specification that restricts the initial, ubiquitous, maternally specified, ANE regulatory state to the most anterior blastomeres. There, the Wnt receptor antagonist, Dkk1, protects this state through a negative feedback mechanism. Because these different Wnt pathways converge on the same cell fate specification process, our data suggest they may function as integrated components of an interactive Wnt signaling network. Our findings provide strong support for the idea that the sea urchin ANE regulatory state and the mechanisms that position and define its borders represent an ancient regulatory patterning system that was present in the common echinoderm/vertebrate ancestor.
format Article
id doaj-art-780dd3125e2e41ddbb294032cbee7a1a
institution OA Journals
issn 1544-9173
1545-7885
language English
publishDate 2013-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS Biology
spelling doaj-art-780dd3125e2e41ddbb294032cbee7a1a2025-08-20T02:22:49ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Biology1544-91731545-78852013-01-01111e100146710.1371/journal.pbio.1001467Integration of canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways patterns the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior axis of sea urchin embryos.Ryan C RangeRobert C AngererLynne M AngererPatterning the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior (AP) axis is a critical event in the early development of deuterostome embryos. However, the mechanisms that regulate the specification and patterning of the neuroectoderm are incompletely understood. Remarkably, the anterior neuroectoderm (ANE) of the deuterostome sea urchin embryo expresses many of the same transcription factors and secreted modulators of Wnt signaling, as does the early vertebrate ANE (forebrain/eye field). Moreover, as is the case in vertebrate embryos, confining the ANE to the anterior end of the embryo requires a Wnt/β-catenin-dependent signaling mechanism. Here we use morpholino- or dominant negative-mediated interference to demonstrate that the early sea urchin embryo integrates information not only from Wnt/β-catenin but also from Wnt/Fzl5/8-JNK and Fzl1/2/7-PKC pathways to provide precise spatiotemporal control of neuroectoderm patterning along its AP axis. Together, through the Wnt1 and Wnt8 ligands, they orchestrate a progressive posterior-to-anterior wave of re-specification that restricts the initial, ubiquitous, maternally specified, ANE regulatory state to the most anterior blastomeres. There, the Wnt receptor antagonist, Dkk1, protects this state through a negative feedback mechanism. Because these different Wnt pathways converge on the same cell fate specification process, our data suggest they may function as integrated components of an interactive Wnt signaling network. Our findings provide strong support for the idea that the sea urchin ANE regulatory state and the mechanisms that position and define its borders represent an ancient regulatory patterning system that was present in the common echinoderm/vertebrate ancestor.https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001467&type=printable
spellingShingle Ryan C Range
Robert C Angerer
Lynne M Angerer
Integration of canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways patterns the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior axis of sea urchin embryos.
PLoS Biology
title Integration of canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways patterns the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior axis of sea urchin embryos.
title_full Integration of canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways patterns the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior axis of sea urchin embryos.
title_fullStr Integration of canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways patterns the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior axis of sea urchin embryos.
title_full_unstemmed Integration of canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways patterns the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior axis of sea urchin embryos.
title_short Integration of canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways patterns the neuroectoderm along the anterior-posterior axis of sea urchin embryos.
title_sort integration of canonical and noncanonical wnt signaling pathways patterns the neuroectoderm along the anterior posterior axis of sea urchin embryos
url https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001467&type=printable
work_keys_str_mv AT ryancrange integrationofcanonicalandnoncanonicalwntsignalingpathwayspatternstheneuroectodermalongtheanteriorposterioraxisofseaurchinembryos
AT robertcangerer integrationofcanonicalandnoncanonicalwntsignalingpathwayspatternstheneuroectodermalongtheanteriorposterioraxisofseaurchinembryos
AT lynnemangerer integrationofcanonicalandnoncanonicalwntsignalingpathwayspatternstheneuroectodermalongtheanteriorposterioraxisofseaurchinembryos