Summary
To begin to examine the possibility that Wnt proteins act as cell signalling molecules during chick embryogenesis, PCR was used to identify Wnt genes expressed in Hensen's node. We have identified a novel member of the Wnt gene family, Cwnt-8C, which is expressed prior to gastrulation in the posterior marginal zone, the primitive streak and Hensen's node. Injection of Cwnt-8C mRNA into Xenopus embryos caused axis duplication and dorsalization of mesodermal tissues. During neurulation, Cwnt-8C is expressed transiently in a restricted domain of the prospective hindbrain neurectoderm that will give rise to rhombomere 4. This domain is defined prior to the formation of rhombomere boundaries and also precedes the up-regulation and restriction of expression of Hox B1 in the same region. Thus, Cwnt-8C is potentially involved in the regulation of axis formation and hindbrain patterning.
Article navigation
Related articles
Cited by...
More in this TOC section
Similar articles
Other journals from The Company of Biologists
A new society for regenerative biologists
Kenneth Poss and Elly Tanaka announce the launch of the International Society for Regenerative Biology (ISRB), which will promote research and education in the field of regenerative biology.
Upcoming special issue: call for papers
The Immune System in Development and Regeneration
Guest editors: Florent Ginhoux and Paul Martin
Submission deadline: 1 September 2021
Publication: Spring 2022
The special issue welcomes Review articles as well as Research articles, and will be widely promoted online and at key global conferences.
An interview with Cagney Coomer
Over a virtual chat, we spoke to Cagney Coomer about her experiences in the lab, the classroom and the community centre, and why she thinks outreach and role models are vital to science.
Development presents...
Our successful webinar series continues into 2021, with early-career researchers presenting their papers and a chance to virtually network with the developmental biology community afterwards. Here, Michèle Romanos talks about her new preprint, which mixes experimentation in quail embryos and computational modelling to understand how heterogeneity in a tissue influences cell rate.
Save your spot at our next session:
10 March
Time: 9:00 (GMT)
Chaired by: Thomas Lecuit
Join our mailing list to receive news and updates on the series.