Open AccessDynamics of Wnt activity on the acquisition of ectoderm potency in epiblast stem cells
Author(s) -
Pierre Osteil,
Josh B. Studdert,
Hwee Ngee Goh,
Emilie Wilkie,
Xiaochen Fan,
Poh-Lynn Khoo,
Guangdun Peng,
Nazmus Salehin,
Hilary Knowles,
JingDong J. Han,
Naihe Jing,
Nicolas Fossat,
Patrick Tam
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.754
H-Index - 325
eISSN - 1477-9129
pISSN - 0950-1991
DOI - 10.1242/dev.172858
Subject(s) - epiblast , gastrulation , ectoderm , germ layer , biology , wnt signaling pathway , microbiology and biotechnology , embryogenesis , genetics , embryonic stem cell , embryo , induced pluripotent stem cell , signal transduction , gene
During embryogenesis, a stringent regulation of Wnt activity is critical for the morphogenesis of the head and brain. The loss of function of the Wnt inhibitor, Dkk1, results in elevated Wnt activity, loss of ectoderm lineage attributes from the anterior epiblast, and the posteriorization of anterior germ layer tissue towards the mesendoderm. The modulation of Wnt signalling may therefore be critical for the allocation of epiblast cells to ectoderm progenitors during gastrulation. To test this hypothesis, we examined the lineage characteristics of epiblast stem cells (EpiSC) that were derived and maintained under different signalling conditions. We showed that suppression of Wnt activity enhanced the ectoderm propensity of the EpiSCs. Neuroectoderm differentiation of these EpiSCs was further empowered by the robust re-activation of Wnt activity. Therefore, during gastrulation, the tuning of the signalling activities that mediate mesendoderm differentiation is instrumental for the acquisition of ectoderm potency in the epiblast.