Vincan Elizabeth, Swain Rajeeb Kumar, Brabletz Thomas, Steinbeisser Herbert
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Front Biosci. 2007 May 1;12:4558-67. doi: 10.2741/2410.
Recent insights from diverse fields of basic and clinical research reveal that the biological processes that govern embryonic development and organogenesis are also commonly involved in the pathologies that arise in that organ or tissue in the adult. This striking parallel between embryonic development and pathology is exemplified by Wnt signalling in the intestinal tract. Wnt signalling is critical throughout embryonic development of the mammalian gut. Moreover, competent Wnt signalling is essential for the homeostatic control of the adult intestinal epithelium. On the other hand, aberrant Wnt signalling in the adult intestine leads to cancer and other pathologies. This critical role of the Wnt pathway in gut development and homeostasis is conserved through evolution, emphasizing the importance of this pathway in this tissue. Interestingly, expression of the Wnt receptor FZD7 in gut tissue is also conserved through evolution, suggesting that this receptor may be integral to the important role assigned to Wnt signalling in gut tissues.
基础研究和临床研究各领域的最新见解表明，支配胚胎发育和器官形成的生物学过程通常也与成体中该器官或组织出现的病理状况有关。胚胎发育与病理学之间的这种显著相似性在肠道的Wnt信号传导中得到了体现。Wnt信号传导在哺乳动物肠道的整个胚胎发育过程中至关重要。此外，有效的Wnt信号传导对于成体肠上皮的稳态控制必不可少。另一方面，成体肠道中异常的Wnt信号传导会导致癌症和其他病理状况。Wnt通路在肠道发育和稳态中的这一关键作用在进化过程中得以保留，强调了该通路在该组织中的重要性。有趣的是，Wnt受体FZD7在肠道组织中的表达在进化过程中也得以保留，这表明该受体可能是Wnt信号传导在肠道组织中所发挥重要作用不可或缺的一部分。
