Premium
The legacy of lithium effects on development
Author(s) -
Kao Kenneth R,
Elinson Richard P
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
biology of the cell
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.543
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1768-322X
pISSN - 0248-4900
DOI - 10.1111/j.1768-322x.1998.tb01067.x
Subject(s) - biology , wnt signaling pathway , lithium (medication) , cleavage (geology) , embryogenesis , microbiology and biotechnology , stimulation , neuroscience , anatomy , signal transduction , endocrinology , embryo , paleontology , fracture (geology)
The simple element lithium causes specific effects on early embryonic development. In amphibians, treatment during early cleavage enhances anterior and dorsal development at the expense of posterior and ventral development. Conversely, treatment at late cleavage reduces head development. While an effect of lithium on the phosphoinositide cycle was suspected, the enhancement of dorsoanterior development is now thought to result primarily from stimulation of the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway. The multiple uses of this pathway in development may account for lithium's various specific effects.