Posterior Wnts Have Distinct Roles in Specification and Patterning of the Planarian Posterior Region

Sureda-Gómez, Miquel; Pascual-Carreras, Eudald; Adell, Teresa

doi:10.3390/ijms161125970

Open AccessArticle

Posterior Wnts Have Distinct Roles in Specification and Patterning of the Planarian Posterior Region

by

Miquel Sureda-Gómez

,

Eudald Pascual-Carreras

and

Teresa Adell

^*

Department of Genetics and Institute of Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona E-08028, Catalonia, Spain

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2015, 16(11), 26543-26554; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms161125970

Submission received: 20 September 2015 / Revised: 26 October 2015 / Accepted: 28 October 2015 / Published: 5 November 2015

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Cellular Basis of Regeneration and Tissue Repair)

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Abstract

The wnt signaling pathway is an intercellular communication mechanism essential in cell-fate specification, tissue patterning and regional-identity specification. A βcatenin-dependent signal specifies the AP (Anteroposterior) axis of planarians, both during regeneration of new tissues and during normal homeostasis. Accordingly, four wnts (posterior wnts) are expressed in a nested manner in central and posterior regions of planarians. We have analyzed the specific role of each posterior wnt and the possible cooperation between them in specifying and patterning planarian central and posterior regions. We show that each posterior wnt exerts a distinct role during re-specification and maintenance of the central and posterior planarian regions, and that the integration of the different wnt signals (βcatenin dependent and independent) underlies the patterning of the AP axis from the central region to the tip of the tail. Based on these findings and data from the literature, we propose a model for patterning the planarian AP axis.

Keywords: patterning; identity specification; wnt signaling; planarians

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MDPI and ACS Style

Sureda-Gómez, M.; Pascual-Carreras, E.; Adell, T. Posterior Wnts Have Distinct Roles in Specification and Patterning of the Planarian Posterior Region. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2015, 16, 26543-26554. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms161125970

AMA Style

Sureda-Gómez M, Pascual-Carreras E, Adell T. Posterior Wnts Have Distinct Roles in Specification and Patterning of the Planarian Posterior Region. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2015; 16(11):26543-26554. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms161125970

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sureda-Gómez, Miquel, Eudald Pascual-Carreras, and Teresa Adell. 2015. "Posterior Wnts Have Distinct Roles in Specification and Patterning of the Planarian Posterior Region" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 16, no. 11: 26543-26554. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms161125970

APA Style

Sureda-Gómez, M., Pascual-Carreras, E., & Adell, T. (2015). Posterior Wnts Have Distinct Roles in Specification and Patterning of the Planarian Posterior Region. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 16(11), 26543-26554. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms161125970

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Posterior Wnts Have Distinct Roles in Specification and Patterning of the Planarian Posterior Region

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