Abstract
We have used zebrafish as a model system for the study of vertebrate dorsoventral patterning. We isolated a maternally expressed and dorsal organizer localized member of the frizzled family of wnt receptors. Wild-type and dominant, loss-of-function molecules in misexpression studies demonstrate frizzled function is necessary and sufficient for dorsal mesoderm specification. frizzled activity is antagonized by the action of GSK-3, and we show GSK-3 is also required for zebrafish dorsal mesoderm formation. frizzled cooperatively interacts with the maternally encoded zebrafish wnt8 protein in dorsal mesodermal fate determination. This frizzled -mediated wnt pathway for dorsal mesoderm specification provides the first evidence for the requirement of a wnt-like signal in vertebrate axis determination.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Animals
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Blotting, Northern
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Body Patterning*
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Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / metabolism
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Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / physiology
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Cytoskeletal Proteins
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Embryo, Nonmammalian / metabolism
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Embryo, Nonmammalian / physiology
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Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
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Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3
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In Situ Hybridization
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Membrane Proteins / genetics
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Membrane Proteins / metabolism
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Membrane Proteins / physiology*
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Mesoderm / metabolism
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Mesoderm / physiology*
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Mutagenesis
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Proteins / physiology
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Wnt Proteins
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Zebrafish / embryology
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Zebrafish Proteins*
Substances
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Cytoskeletal Proteins
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Membrane Proteins
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Proteins
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Wnt Proteins
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Zebrafish Proteins
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fzd8b protein, zebrafish
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wnt8a protein, zebrafish
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Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases
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Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3