Wnt Signaling in Neural Crest Ontogenesis and Oncogenesis
Yu Ji,
Hongyan Hao,
Kurt Reynolds,
Moira McMahon,
Chengji J. Zhou
Affiliations
Yu Ji
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine & Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
Hongyan Hao
Graduate Program of Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Kurt Reynolds
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine & Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
Moira McMahon
Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine and Shriners Hospitals for Children, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
Chengji J. Zhou
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine & Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
Neural crest (NC) cells are a temporary population of multipotent stem cells that generate a diverse array of cell types, including craniofacial bone and cartilage, smooth muscle cells, melanocytes, and peripheral neurons and glia during embryonic development. Defective neural crest development can cause severe and common structural birth defects, such as craniofacial anomalies and congenital heart disease. In the early vertebrate embryos, NC cells emerge from the dorsal edge of the neural tube during neurulation and then migrate extensively throughout the anterior-posterior body axis to generate numerous derivatives. Wnt signaling plays essential roles in embryonic development and cancer. This review summarizes current understanding of Wnt signaling in NC cell induction, delamination, migration, multipotency, and fate determination, as well as in NC-derived cancers.
