PUBLICATION
Maternal Huluwa dictates the embryonic body axis through β-catenin in vertebrates
- Authors
- Yan, L., Chen, J., Zhu, X., Sun, J., Wu, X., Shen, W., Zhang, W., Tao, Q., Meng, A.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-181127-52
- Date
- 2018
- Source
- Science (New York, N.Y.) 362(6417): (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Chen, Jing, Meng, Anming
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Xenopus laevis/embryology*
- Xenopus laevis/genetics
- Wnt Signaling Pathway
- Axin Protein/metabolism
- Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins/physiology*
- Xenopus Proteins/genetics
- Xenopus Proteins/physiology*
- Body Patterning/genetics*
- HEK293 Cells
- Maternal Inheritance/genetics*
- Proteolysis
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- Zebrafish/genetics
- beta Catenin/metabolism*
- Humans
- Embryonic Development/genetics*
- Animals
- PubMed
- 30467143 Full text @ Science
Citation
Yan, L., Chen, J., Zhu, X., Sun, J., Wu, X., Shen, W., Zhang, W., Tao, Q., Meng, A. (2018) Maternal Huluwa dictates the embryonic body axis through β-catenin in vertebrates. Science (New York, N.Y.). 362(6417).
Abstract
The vertebrate body is formed by cell movements and shape change during embryogenesis. It remains undetermined which maternal signals govern the formation of the dorsal organizer and the body axis. We found that maternal depletion of huluwa, a previously unnamed gene, causes loss of the dorsal organizer, the head, and the body axis in zebrafish and Xenopus embryos. Huluwa protein is found on the plasma membrane of blastomeres in the future dorsal region in early zebrafish blastulas. Huluwa has strong dorsalizing and secondary axis-inducing activities, which require β-catenin but can function independent of Wnt ligand/receptor signaling. Mechanistically, Huluwa binds to and promotes the tankyrase-mediated degradation of Axin. Therefore, maternal Huluwa is an essential determinant of the dorsal organizer and body axis in vertebrate embryos.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping