Requirement of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in pronephric kidney development.

ABSTRACT: The pronephric kidney controls water and electrolyte balance during early fish and amphibian embryogenesis. Many Wnt signaling components have been implicated in kidney development. Specifically, in Xenopus pronephric development as well as the murine metanephroi, the secreted glycoprotein Wnt-4 has been shown to be essential for renal tubule formation. Despite the importance of Wnt signals in kidney organogenesis, little is known of the definitive downstream signaling pathway(s) that mediate their effects. Here we report that inhibition of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling within the pronephric field of Xenopus results in significant losses to kidney epithelial tubulogenesis with little or no effect on adjoining axis or somite development. We find that the requirement for Wnt/beta-catenin signal

SUBMITTER: Lyons JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2684468 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature