Disruption of the temporally regulated cloaca endodermal β-catenin signaling causes anorectal malformations.

ABSTRACT: The cloaca is temporally formed and eventually divided by the urorectal septum (URS) during urogenital and anorectal organ development. Although congenital malformations, such as anorectal malformations (ARMs), are frequently observed during this process, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms remain unclear. β-Catenin is a critical component of canonical Wnt signaling and is essential for the regulation of cell differentiation and morphogenesis during embryogenesis. The expression of β-catenin is observed in endodermal epithelia, including URS epithelia. We modulated the β-catenin gene conditionally in endodermal epithelia by utilizing tamoxifen-inducible Cre driver line (Shh(CreERT2)). Both β-catenin loss- and gain-of-function (LOF and GOF) mutants displayed abnormal clefts in the perineal

SUBMITTER: Miyagawa S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4013517 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature