Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2785442 | Current Opinion in Genetics & Development | 2008 | 6 Pages |
The simplicity of C. elegans makes it an outstanding system to study the role of Wnt signaling in development. Many asymmetric cell divisions in C. elegans require the Wnt/β-catenin asymmetry pathway. Recent studies confirm that SYS-1 is a structurally and functionally divergent β-catenin, and implicate lipids and retrograde trafficking in maintenance of WRM-1/β-catenin asymmetry. Wnts also regulate short-range events such as spindle rotation and gastrulation, and a PCP-like pathway regulates asymmetric divisions. Long-range, cell non-autonomous Wnt signals regulate vulval induction. Both short-range and long-range Wnt signals are regulated by recycling of MIG-14/Wntless via the retromer complex. These studies indicate that C. elegans continues to be useful for identifying new, conserved mechanisms underlying Wnt signaling in metazoans.