Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Engrailed-1 as a target of the Wnt-1 signalling pathway in vertebrate midbrain development

Abstract

A SECRETED signalling molecule encoded by the Wnt-1 gene is required for development of the central nervous system. In mouse embryos homozygous for a Wnt-1-null allele, the midbrain and anterior hindbrain fail to develop1,2. This corresponds to the region where two transcription factors encoded by the mouse engrailed genes (En-1 and En-2) are normally expressed3,4. Studies of the Drosophila orthologue of Wnt-1, wingless, indicate that Wingless signal is required to maintain engrailed expression in neighbouring cells of the developing epidermis5–7. Here we report that expression of En-1 in the developing midbrain of Wnt-1-null embryos is sufficient to rescue early midbrain and anterior hindbrain development. This suggests that a key role of Wnt-1 signalling is to maintain En expression and that this aspect of the Wnt-1/engrailed interaction has been conserved from flies to mice.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. McMahon, A. P. & Bradley, A. Cell 62, 1073–1085 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Thomas, K. R. & Capecchi, M. R. Nature 346, 847–850 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Davis, C. A. & Joyner, A. L. Genes Dev. 2, 1736–1744 (1988).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. McMahon, A. P., Joyner, A. L., Bradley, A. & McMahon, J. A. Cell 69, 581–595 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. DiNardo, S., Sher, E., Heemskerk-Jongens, J., Kassis, J. & O'Farrell, P. Nature 332, 604–609 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Martinez-Arias, A., Baker, N. E. & Ingham, P. W. Development 103, 157–170 (1988).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Heemskerk, J., DiNardo, S. & Kostriken, R. Nature 352, 404–410 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Ingham, P. W. & Martinez Areas, A. Cell 68, 221–235 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Klingensmith, J. & Nusse, R. Dev. Biol. 170, 636–650 (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Rowitch, D. H. & McMahon, A. P. Mech. Dev. 52, 3–8 (1995).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Mastick, G. S. et al. J. Comp. Neurol. (in the press).

  12. Wurst, W., Auerbach, A. B. & Joyner, A. L. Development 120, 2065–2075 (1994).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Joyner, A. L. et al. Science 251, 1239–1243 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Echelard, Y. et al. Cell 75, 1417–1430 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Parr, B., Shea, M., Vassileva, G. & McMahon, A. P. Development 119, 247–261 (1993).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Asano, M. & Gruss, P. Mech. Dev. 39, 29–39 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Crossley, P. H. & Martin, G. R. Development 121, 439–451 (1995).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Mahmood, R. et al. Curr. Biol. 5, 797–806 (1995).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Crossley, P. H., Martinez, S. & Martin, G. R. Nature 380, 66–68 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Davis, C. A., Holmyard, D. P., Millen, K. J. & Joyner, A. L. Development 111, 287–298 (1991).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Fritzsch, B., Nichols, D. H., Echelard, Y. & McMahon, A. P. J. Neurobiol. 27, 457–469 (1995).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Takada, S. et al. Genes Dev. 8, 174–189 (1994).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Knecht, A. K., Good, P. J., Dawid, I. B. & Harland, R. M. Development 121, 1927–1936 (1995).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Danielian, P., McMahon, A. Engrailed-1 as a target of the Wnt-1 signalling pathway in vertebrate midbrain development. Nature 383, 332–334 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/383332a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/383332a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing