Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-14-2010
Publication Source
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume Number
107
Issue Number
37
First Page
16154
Last Page
16159
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
ISSN
0027-8424
Abstract
The Wnt signaling pathway must be properly modulated to ensure an appropriate output: pathological conditions result from either insufficient or excessive levels of Wnt signal. For example, hyperactivation of the Wnt pathway is associated with various cancers and subnormal Wnt signaling can lead to increased invasiveness of tumor cells. We found that the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of the Fer nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, FRK-1, limits Wnt signaling by preventing the adhesion complex-associated beta-catenin, HMP-2, from participating in Wnt-dependent specification of the endoderm during embryogenesis. Removal of FRK-1 function results in relocalization of HMP-2 to the nucleus of epidermal cells, and allows it to substitute for WRM-1, the nuclear beta-catenin that normally transduces the Wnt signal during endoderm development. APR-1, the C. elegans APC ortholog, is similarly required to prevent HMP-2 relocalization and keeps it from participating in Wnt signal transduction; this finding partially explains the paradoxical observation that APR-1 acts either negatively or positively in Wnt signaling, depending on context. The apparent hyperactivation of the Wnt response in the absence of FRK-1 leads to hyperproliferation in the endoderm, as is also seen when WRM-1 is overexpressed in wildtype embryos. The specification and proliferation activities of Wnt signaling are separable: although the Tcf/Lef factor POP-1 acts in Wnt-dependent endoderm specification, it is not apparently required for hyperproliferation resulting from excessive Wnt signaling. These findings highlight a role for a Fer-type kinase in setting the proper levels of Wnt signaling and demonstrate the importance of this modulation in ensuring appropriate cell division.
Recommended Citation
Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Volume 107, Issue 37, September 14, 2010, pages 16154-16159. Copyright © 2010 National Academy of Sciences, Washington D.C.. The final published version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1006600107
