Abstract
Metazoan stem cells repopulate tissues during adult life by dividing asymmetrically to generate another stem cell and a cell that terminally differentiates. Wnt signaling regulates the division pattern of stem cells in flies and vertebrates. While the short-lived nematode C. elegans has no adult somatic stem cells, the lateral epithelial seam cells divide in a stem cell-like manner in each larval stage, usually generating a posterior daughter that retains the seam cell fate and an anterior daughter that terminally differentiates. We show that while wild-type adult animals have 16 seam cells per side, animals with reduced function of the TCF homolog POP-1 have as many as 67 seam cells, and animals with reduced function of the β-catenins SYS-1 and WRM-1 have as few as three. Analysis of seam cell division patterns showed alterations in their stem cell-like divisions in the L2-L4 stages: reduced Wnt signaling caused both daughters to adopt non-seam fates, while activated Wnt signaling caused both daughters to adopt the seam fate. Therefore, our results indicate that Wnt signaling globally regulates the asymmetric, stem cell-like division of most or all somatic seam cells during C. elegans larval development, and that Wnt pathway regulation of stem cell-like behavior is conserved in nematodes.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 58-66 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Developmental Biology |
| Volume | 348 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Asymmetric cell division
- C. elegans
- Seam cells
- Stem cells
- Wnt
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Cite this
Wnt signaling controls the stem cell-like asymmetric division of the epithelial seam cells during C. elegans larval development. / Gleason, Julie E.; Eisenmann, David M.
In: Developmental Biology, Vol. 348, No. 1, 01.12.2010, p. 58-66.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Wnt signaling controls the stem cell-like asymmetric division of the epithelial seam cells during C. elegans larval development
AU - Gleason, Julie E.
AU - Eisenmann, David M.
PY - 2010/12/1
Y1 - 2010/12/1
N2 - Metazoan stem cells repopulate tissues during adult life by dividing asymmetrically to generate another stem cell and a cell that terminally differentiates. Wnt signaling regulates the division pattern of stem cells in flies and vertebrates. While the short-lived nematode C. elegans has no adult somatic stem cells, the lateral epithelial seam cells divide in a stem cell-like manner in each larval stage, usually generating a posterior daughter that retains the seam cell fate and an anterior daughter that terminally differentiates. We show that while wild-type adult animals have 16 seam cells per side, animals with reduced function of the TCF homolog POP-1 have as many as 67 seam cells, and animals with reduced function of the β-catenins SYS-1 and WRM-1 have as few as three. Analysis of seam cell division patterns showed alterations in their stem cell-like divisions in the L2-L4 stages: reduced Wnt signaling caused both daughters to adopt non-seam fates, while activated Wnt signaling caused both daughters to adopt the seam fate. Therefore, our results indicate that Wnt signaling globally regulates the asymmetric, stem cell-like division of most or all somatic seam cells during C. elegans larval development, and that Wnt pathway regulation of stem cell-like behavior is conserved in nematodes.
AB - Metazoan stem cells repopulate tissues during adult life by dividing asymmetrically to generate another stem cell and a cell that terminally differentiates. Wnt signaling regulates the division pattern of stem cells in flies and vertebrates. While the short-lived nematode C. elegans has no adult somatic stem cells, the lateral epithelial seam cells divide in a stem cell-like manner in each larval stage, usually generating a posterior daughter that retains the seam cell fate and an anterior daughter that terminally differentiates. We show that while wild-type adult animals have 16 seam cells per side, animals with reduced function of the TCF homolog POP-1 have as many as 67 seam cells, and animals with reduced function of the β-catenins SYS-1 and WRM-1 have as few as three. Analysis of seam cell division patterns showed alterations in their stem cell-like divisions in the L2-L4 stages: reduced Wnt signaling caused both daughters to adopt non-seam fates, while activated Wnt signaling caused both daughters to adopt the seam fate. Therefore, our results indicate that Wnt signaling globally regulates the asymmetric, stem cell-like division of most or all somatic seam cells during C. elegans larval development, and that Wnt pathway regulation of stem cell-like behavior is conserved in nematodes.
KW - Asymmetric cell division
KW - C. elegans
KW - Seam cells
KW - Stem cells
KW - Wnt
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=78149413527&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.09.005
DO - 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.09.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 20849842
AN - SCOPUS:78149413527
VL - 348
SP - 58
EP - 66
JO - Developmental Biology
JF - Developmental Biology
SN - 0012-1606
IS - 1
ER -