Lee Patricia N, Pang Kevin, Matus David Q, Martindale Mark Q
Kewalo Marine Lab/Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawaii, 41 Ahui Street, Honolulu, 96813, USA.
Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2006 Apr;17(2):157-67. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2006.05.002. Epub 2006 May 7.
The conserved family of Wnt signaling molecules mediates various developmental processes including governing cell fate, proliferation, and polarity. The diverse developmental functions of the Wnt genes in bilaterians have obscured the evolutionary origin of this important signaling pathway. Recent work in the Cnidaria has shown the diversity of Wnt genes, and regulatory components of Wnt signaling, evolved early in metazoan evolution, prior to the divergence of cnidarians and bilaterians. Evidence from Hydra and the sea anemone, Nematostella, demonstrates a role for Wnt signaling in axis formation and patterning, as well as gastrulation and germ-layer specification. In this review, we examine what is currently known about Wnt signaling in cnidarians, and discuss what this group of "simple" animals may reveal about the evolution of Wnt signaling and polarity.
Wnt信号分子的保守家族介导了各种发育过程，包括决定细胞命运、增殖和极性。Wnt基因在两侧对称动物中多样的发育功能掩盖了这一重要信号通路的进化起源。最近对刺胞动物的研究表明，Wnt基因的多样性以及Wnt信号的调控成分在动物进化早期，即刺胞动物和两侧对称动物分化之前就已演化形成。来自水螅和海葵星状海葵的证据表明，Wnt信号在轴形成和模式形成以及原肠胚形成和胚层特化中发挥作用。在这篇综述中，我们研究了目前关于刺胞动物中Wnt信号的已知信息，并讨论了这群“简单”动物可能揭示的关于Wnt信号和极性进化的信息。
