An ATF2-based luciferase reporter to monitor non-canonical Wnt signaling in xenopus embryos
✍ Scribed by Bisei Ohkawara; Christof Niehrs
- Book ID
- 102819381
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2010
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 600 KB
- Volume
- 240
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1058-8388
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Abstract
Non‐canonical/planar cell polarity (PCP) Wnt signaling plays important roles in embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, and is implicated in human disease. Monitoring Wnt/PCP signaling relies mostly on semi‐quantitative bioassays or biochemical analysis. Here we describe a luciferase reporter assay based on an ATF2 response element, which faithfully monitors non‐canonical Wnt signaling in Xenopus embryos. The assay is simple, quantitative, and robust. It can be used to detect non‐canonical Wnt signaling changes following gain and loss of function of pathway components, including Wnt, Frizzled, Ror2, Disheveled, Rac1, MKK7, and JNK. Wnt/PCP signaling has recently been implicated in left‐right asymmetry and our reporter assay suggests that in gastrula embryos there is a right‐ward bias in Wnt/PCP signaling. We also mapped Wnt/PCP signaling in the early Xenopus embryo and find that it peaks in the dorso‐vegetal region, paralleling Wnt/β‐catenin signaling. Developmental Dynamics, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.