BACKGROUND Non-dioxin-like (NDL) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) promote dendritic growth in hippocampal neurons via ryanodine receptor (RyR)-dependent mechanisms; however, downstream signaling events that link enhanced RyR activity to dendritic growth are unknown. Activity-dependent dendritic growth, which is a critical determinant of neuronal connectivity in the developing brain, is mediated...

Previous evidence suggests that language function is modulated by genetic variants on chromosome 7q31-36. However, it is unclear whether this region harbors loci that contribute to speech delay in autism. We previously reported that the WNT2 gene located on 7q31 was associated with the risk of autism. Additionally, two other genes on 7q31-36, FOXP2 and the EN2 genes are also found to play a rol...

Patterning of the primitive foregut promotes appropriate organ specification along its anterior-posterior axis. However, the molecular pathways specifying foregut endoderm progenitors are poorly understood. We show here that Wnt2/2b signaling is required to specify lung endoderm progenitors within the anterior foregut. Embryos lacking Wnt2/2b expression exhibit complete lung agenesis and do not...

Abstract Background Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. Currently, overall survival rate GC still unsatisfactory despite progress in diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, studying molecular mechanisms involved vital for CircRNAs, a type noncoding RNA, have been proven to act as miRNA sponges that can widely regulate various cancers. By this mechanism, circRNA...

Smooth muscle in the lung is thought to derive from the developing lung mesenchyme. Smooth muscle formation relies upon coordination of both autocrine and paracrine signaling between the budding epithelium and adjacent mesenchyme to govern its proliferation and differentiation. However, the pathways initiating the earliest aspects of smooth muscle specification and differentiation in the lung a...

Follicle-stimulating hormone regulation of estrogen biosynthesis in the adult rodent ovary requires β-catenin (CTNNB1), but whether CTNNB1 is involved in FSH-induced estrogen production in cattle is unknown. To elucidate the effect of FSH in regulating specific wingless-type mouse mammary tumor virus integration site (WNT)/CTNNB1 pathway components in bovine folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis...

RATIONALE Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation causes intimal thickening in atherosclerosis and restenosis. Previously, we demonstrated that Wnt/β-catenin signaling upregulates VSMC proliferation in vitro. OBJECTIVE We examined this pathway in vivo and investigated the involvement of specific Wnt proteins in VSMC proliferation. METHODS AND RESULTS Left carotid arteries of TOPgal...

The vertebrate liver, pancreas and lung arise in close proximity from the multipotent foregut endoderm. Tissue-explant experiments uncovered instructive signals emanating from the neighbouring lateral plate mesoderm, directing the endoderm towards specific organ fates. This suggested that an intricate network of signals is required to control the specification and differentiation of each organ....

The role of persistent activation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) in the fibrosis associated with chronic pancreatitis (CP) is increasingly being recognized. Recent studies have shown that Wnt signaling is involved in the development of fibrosis in multiple organs, however, the role of specific Wnts in pancreatic fibrosis remains unknown. We investigated the role of Wnt signaling during PSC...

Wnt gene expression was investigated by ribonuclease protection analysis in human breast cancer, nontumorous breast tissue, and a variety of human breast cell lines. We report the expression of Wnt3, Wnt4, and Wnt7b in human breast cell lines and Wnt2, Wnt3, Wnt4, and Wnt7b in human breast tissues. Wnt3a and Wnt7a were absent in the cell lines and tissues tested. The level of expression of Wnt2...