Convergent extension movements are the main driving force of Xenopus gastrulation. A fine-tuned regulation of cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion is thought to be required for this process. Members… (More)
XWnt-5A, a member of the nontransforming Wnt-5A class of Wnt ligands, is required for convergent extension movements in Xenopus embryos. XWnt-5A knockdown phenocopies paraxial protocadherin (XPAPC)… (More)
Xenopus Cadherin-11 (Xcad-11) is expressed when cranial neural crest cells (CNC) acquire motility. However, its function in stimulating cell migration is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that… (More)
We cloned two isoforms of the Xenopus Eya1 orthologue. They show identical patterns of expression that closely resemble the previously described expression of XSix1, but partly differ from the… (More)
beta-Catenin stabilizes the cadherin cell adhesion complex but, as a component of the Wnt/Wg signaling pathway, also controls gene expression by forming a heterodimer with a transcription factor of… (More)
Cranial neural crest (CNC) cells migrate extensively, typically in a pattern of cell streams. In Xenopus, these cells express the adhesion molecule Xcadherin-11 (Xcad-11) as they begin to emigrate… (More)
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a motoneuron disease caused by reduced levels of survival motoneuron (SMN) protein. Previous studies have assigned SMN to uridine-rich small nuclear ribonucleoprotein… (More)
E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion is reduced in epithelial tumors, which is thought to be a prerequisite to acquire invasive properties. We observed that several pancreatic carcinoma cell lines… (More)
Some members of the Wnt family of extracellular glycoproteins regulate target gene expression by inducing stabilization and nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin, which functions as a transcriptional… (More)
Lymphoid enhancer factor/T-cell factor (LEF/TCF) high mobility group box transcription factors are the nuclear transducers of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling cascade. In Xenopus, three members of the… (More)