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First published online 17 March 2004
doi: 10.1242/dev.01060

Development 131, 1813-1824 (2004)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2004
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Wnt signaling enhances FGF2-triggered lens fiber cell differentiation

Jungmook Lyu and Choun-Ki Joo*

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: ckjoo{at}catholic.ac.kr)

Accepted 31 December 2003

Wnt signaling is implicated in many developmental processes, including cell fate changes. Several members of the Wnt family, as well as other molecules involved in Wnt signaling, including Frizzled receptors, LDL-related protein co-receptors, members of the Dishevelled and Dickkopf families, are known to be expressed in the lens during embryonic or postembryonic development. However, the function of Wnt signaling in lens fiber differentiation remains unknown. Here, we show that GSK-3ß kinase is inactivated and that ß-catenin accumulates during the early stages of lens fiber cell differentiation. In an explant culture system, Wnt conditioned medium (CM) induced the accumulation of ß-crystallin, a marker of fiber cell differentiation, without changing cell shape. In contrast, epithelial cells stimulated with Wnt after priming with FGF elongated, accumulated ß-crystallin, aquaporin-0, p57kip2, and altered their expression of cadherins. Treatment with lithium, which stabilizes ß-catenin, induced the accumulation of ß-crystallin, but explants treated with lithium after FGF priming did not elongate as they did after Wnt application. These results show that Wnts promote the morphological aspects of fiber cell differentiation in a process that requires FGF signaling, but is independent of ß-catenin. Wnt signaling may play an important role in lens epithelial-to-fiber differentiation.

Key words: Lens, Wnt signaling, Fibroblast growth factors, Lens fiber cell differentiation, Rat, ß-crystallin, ß-catenin




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