Dynamics of wnt activity on the acquisition of ectoderm potency in epiblast stem cells

Pierre Osteil*, Josh B. Studdert, Hwee Ngee Goh, Emilie E. Wilkie, Xiaochen Fan, Poh Lynn Khoo, Guangdun Peng, Nazmus Salehin, Hilary Knowles, Jing Dong J. Han, Naihe Jing, Nicolas Fossat, Patrick P.L. Tam

*Corresponding author for this work
4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

During embryogenesis, the stringent regulation of Wnt activity is crucial for the morphogenesis of the head and brain. The loss of function of the Wnt inhibitor Dkk1 results in elevated Wnt activity, loss of ectoderm lineage attributes from the anterior epiblast, and the posteriorisation of anterior germ layer tissue towards the mesendoderm. The modulation of Wnt signalling may therefore be crucial for the allocation of epiblast cells to ectoderm progenitors during gastrulation. To test this hypothesis, we examined the lineage characteristics of epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) that were derived and maintained under different signalling conditions. We showed that suppression of Wnt activity enhanced the ectoderm propensity of the EpiSCs. Neuroectoderm differentiation of these EpiSCs was further empowered by the robust re-activation of Wnt activity. Therefore, during gastrulation, the tuning of the signalling activities that mediate mesendoderm differentiation is instrumental for the acquisition of ectoderm potency in the epiblast.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberdev172858
JournalDevelopment (Cambridge)
Volume146
Issue number7
ISSN0950-1991
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Epiblast stem cells
  • Head development
  • Lineage propensity
  • Neurogenesis
  • Wnt signalling

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