| First Author | Sun Y | Year | 2012 |
| Journal | Dev Dyn | Volume | 241 |
| Issue | 4 | Pages | 663-74 |
| PubMed ID | 22354888 | Mgi Jnum | J:181632 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5312168 | Doi | 10.1002/dvdy.23755 |
| Citation | Sun Y, et al. (2012) Asymmetric requirement of surface epithelial beta-catenin during the upper and lower jaw development. Dev Dyn 241(4):663-74 |
| abstractText | Background: Intercellular communication between epithelial and mesenchymal cells is central to mammalian craniofacial development. beta-catenin is the gateway of canonical Wnt signaling, one of the major evolutionarily conserved cell-cell communication pathways in metazoa. In this study, we report an unexpected stage- and tissue-specific function of beta-catenin during mammalian jaw development. Results: Using a unique mouse genetic tool, we have discovered that epithelial beta-catenin is essential for lower jaw formation, while attenuation of beta-catenin is required for proper upper jaw development. Changes in beta-catenin in vivo alter major epithelial Fgf8, Bmp4, Shh, and Edn1 signals, resulting in partial transcriptional reprogramming of the neural crest-derived mesenchyme, the primary source of jawbones. Conclusions: The Wnt/beta-catenin signal coordinates expression of multiple epithelial signals and has stage-specific asymmetric functions during mammalian upper and lower jaw development. In addition, these findings suggest that evolutionary changes of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway may lead to innovation of jaws. Developmental Dynamics 241:663-674, 2012. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. |
