Wnt signaling in polarized cell divisions

Independent papers in the August 1 issue of G&D investigate the asymmetric localization of beta-catenin (WRM-1) during polarized cell divisions during C. elegans development. Dr. Craig Mello and colleagues used conditional mutants that disrupt Wnt signaling to analyze the moleculaes involved in Wnt-dependent differential nuclear localization of beta-catenin during endoderm development. Drs. Hitoshi Sawa & Hisako Takeshita observed that in C. elegans larval development, beta-catenin is localized to the anterior cortex during cell division and to the posterior nuclei after cell division. The authors show that localization is dependent upon Wnt signaling, and that different Wnt components regulates each of these events.

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