Work

Follistatin operates downstream of Wnt4 in mammalian ovary organogenesis

Year: 2004

Type: article

Abstract: Wnt4(-/-) XX gonads display features normally associated with testis differentiation, suggesting that WNT4 actively represses elements of the male pathway during ovarian development. Here, we show that follistatin (Fst), which encodes a TGFbeta superfamily binding protein, is a downstream component of Wnt4 signaling. Fst inhibits formation of the XY-specific coelomic vessel in XX gonads. In addition, germ cells in the ovarian cortex are almost completely lost in both Wnt4 and Fst null gonads before birth. Thus, we propose that WNT4 acts through FST to regulate vascular boundaries and maintain germ cell survival in the ovary.

Source: Developmental Dynamics

DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.20042

Authors: Humphrey H.C. Yao, Martin M. Matzuk, Carolina J. Jorgez, Douglas B. Menke, David C. Page, Amanda Swain, Blanche Capel

Institutions: Duke Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Institute of Cancer Research

Language: English

Topic: Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lalor Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service, National Cancer Institute, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Awards: G1172949517, G2377650158, G2571018543, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF CANCER AND DEVELOPMENT, G3716550135, Transforming growth factor β family signaling pathways in ovarian and uterine biology

OpenAlex ID: W2000113246

FWCI: 10.77

Cites: 42

Cited by: 362

Related to: 10