Expression of Wnt-1 in PC12 cells results in modulation of plakoglobin and E-cadherin and increased cellular adhesion. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • The Wnt-1 gene plays an essential role in fetal brain development and encodes a secreted protein whose signaling mechanism is presently unknown. In this report we have investigated intracellular mechanisms by which the Wnt-1 gene induces morphological changes in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. PC12 cells expressing Wnt-1 show increased steady-state levels of the adhesive junction protein plakoglobin, and an altered distribution of this protein within the cell. This effect appears similar to a modulation of the plakoglobin homolog, Armadillo, that occurs in Drosophila embryos in response to the Wnt-1 homolog, wingless (Riggleman, B., P. Schedl, and E. Wieschaus. 1990. Cell. 63:549-560). In addition, PC12/Wnt-1 cells show elevated expression of E-cadherin and increased calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion. These results imply evolutionary conservation of cellular responses to Wnt-1/wingless and indicate that in certain cell types Wnt-1 may act to modulate cell adhesion mechanisms.

publication date

  • December 1, 1993

Research

keywords

  • Cadherins
  • Cell Adhesion
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins
  • Gene Expression
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Zebrafish Proteins

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC2290857

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0027761007

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1083/jcb.123.6.1857

PubMed ID

  • 8276903

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 123

issue

  • 6 Pt 2