Cell
Volume 88, Issue 6, 21 March 1997, Pages 747-756
Journal home page for Cell

Article
Frzb-1 Is a Secreted Antagonist of Wnt Signaling Expressed in the Spemann Organizer

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81921-2Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

Abstract

Frzb-1 is a secreted protein containing a domain similar to the putative Wnt-binding region of the frizzled family of transmembrane receptors. Frzb-1 is widely expressed in adult mammalian tissues. In the Xenopus gastrula, it is expressed and regulated as a typical Spemann organizer component. Injection of frzb-1 mRNA blocks expression of XMyoD mRNA and leads to embryos with enlarged heads and shortened trunks. Frzb-1 antagonizes the effects of Xwnt-8 ectopic expression in a non-cell-autonomous manner. Cultured cells transfected with a membrane-tethered form of Wnt-1 bind epitope-tagged Frzb-1 in the 10−10 M range. The results strengthen the view that the Spemann organizer is a source of secreted inhibitory factors.

Cited by (0)