WNT/beta-catenin signalling and epithelial patterning in the homoscleromorph sponge Oscarella.

ABSTRACT: Sponges branch basally in the metazoan phylogenetic tree and are thus well positioned to provide insights into the evolution of mechanisms controlling animal development, likely to remain active in adult sponges. Of the four sponge clades, the Homoscleromorpha are of particular interest as they alone show the "true" epithelial organization seen in other metazoan phyla (the Eumetazoa). We have examined the deployment in sponges of Wnt signalling pathway components, since this pathway is an important regulator of many developmental patterning processes. We identified a reduced repertoire of three divergent Wnt ligand genes in the recently-sequenced Amphimedon queenslandica (demosponge) genome and two Wnts from our EST collection from the homoscleromorph Oscarella lobularis, along with well-c

SUBMITTER: Lapebie P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2688036 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature