Wakayama Symposium: Epithelial-Mesenchymal Interaction Regulates Tissue Formation and Characteristics: Insights for Corneal Development

Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are essential during tissue formation and organ morphogenesis. The roles of Wnt/β-catenin signaling have been studied in many organ systems. In this review, we describe the importance of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by comparing skin and corneal development of Wnt/β-catenin gain of function (GOF) mutant mice. In the skin, Wnt/β-catenin signals have been suggested to play essential roles in regulating cell-cell interaction, cell proliferation and differentiation. Wnt signaling may be associated with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin. In the case of cornea, β-catenin GOF mutation leads to epithelial hyperplasia. Investigation of the mechanisms of growth factor signaling as a reference to general organogenesis could provide profound insights for understanding corneal development and pathogenesis.