Gieseler K, Mariol M C, Sagnier T, Graba Y, Pradel J
Laboratoire de génétique et physiologie du développement, UMR 9943, CNRS-Université, IBDM CNRS-INSERM-Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France.
C R Acad Sci III. 1995 Nov;318(11):1101-10.
The multigenic Wnt family encode secreted signalling molecules with important regulatory functions in various developmental processes. This paper reports an analysis of the relationships, in terms of structure, expression and function, that exist between the Drosophila genes wingless, the orthologue of the mammalian Wnt1 proto-oncogene, and DWnt4, a new member of the Wnt family. The 2 genes are physically clustered, are transcribed in overlapping embryonic territories under the control of the same regulatory molecules. Co-expression and co-regulation suggest first, that the close physical linkage results from the sharing of cis-control elements and second, that the 2 Wnt signals cooperate in developmental patterning events. Antisense RNA experiments revealed that signalling by DWnt4 is essential for cells from the anterior compartment of each parasegment to adopt a denticled fate. We propose that wingless and DWnt4 achieve opposite, but complementary functions in intrasegmental cell patterning of the embryonic ectoderm.
多基因Wnt家族编码在各种发育过程中具有重要调节功能的分泌信号分子。本文报道了对果蝇基因无翅（wingless）（哺乳动物Wnt1原癌基因的直系同源物）和Wnt家族新成员DWnt4之间在结构、表达和功能方面存在的关系的分析。这两个基因在物理上成簇，在相同调控分子的控制下在重叠的胚胎区域中进行转录。共表达和共调控首先表明，紧密的物理连锁是由于顺式调控元件的共享，其次表明这两种Wnt信号在发育模式形成事件中相互协作。反义RNA实验表明，DWnt4发出的信号对于每个副节前部区域的细胞形成齿状命运至关重要。我们提出，无翅和DWnt4在胚胎外胚层的节内细胞模式形成中发挥相反但互补的功能。
