Wnt signaling is a key regulator of development that is often associated with cancer. Wingless, a Drosophila Wnt homolog, has been reported to be a survival factor in wing imaginal discs. However, we found that prospective wing cells survive in the absence of Wingless as long as they are not surrounded by Wingless-responding cells. Moreover, local autonomous overactivation of Wg signaling (as a result of a mutation in APC or axin) leads to the elimination of surrounding normal cells. Therefore, relative differences in Wingless signaling lead to competitive cell interactions. This process does not involve Myc, a well-established cell competition factor. It does, however, require Notum, a conserved secreted feedback inhibitor of Wnt signaling. We suggest that Notum could amplify local differences in Wingless signaling, thus serving as an early trigger of Wg signaling-dependent competition.
Color polymorphism among animal species can influence speciation. Factors such as natural and sexual selection, genetic drift and gene flow contribute to the maintenance of color polymorphism within the species or spur speciation. The evolutionary and ecological mechanisms for color polymorphism are taxon specific and only a few species have been studied.
The World Health Organization (WHO) subdivided medulloblastoma into genetic and histopathological groups, each with a specific therapeutic intervention and different clinical outcomes. These subtypes may present with distinct imaging features. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers to predict the precise pathological characteristics of medulloblastoma.
Introduction: Dickkopf wingless (Wnt) signaling pathway inhibitor-1 (DKK-1) is a potent antagonist of the WNT canonical signaling pathway. DKK-1 is a substance that exerts anabolic effects on bone and is also involved in vascular cell regulation. The study aimed to determine the relationship of DKK-1 with atherosclerosis as determined by carotid artery intima-media thickness (CA-IMT) and arterial stiffness (AS) as determined by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in renal transplant recipients (RTRs).
In this review, we show that predatory ants have a wide range of foraging behavior, something expected given their phylogenetic distance and the great variation in their colony size, life histories, and nesting habitats as well as prey diversity. Most ants are central-place foragers that detect prey using vision and olfaction. Ground-dwelling species can forage solitarily, the ancestral form, but generally recruit nestmates to retrieve large prey or a group of prey.
Wingless-type inducible signaling pathway protein-1 (WISP1) is a newly recognized adipokine, associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This study aimed to investigate the effect of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) on WISP1 circulating (serum) levels and tissue expression using rat models. We initially investigated whether WISP1 circulating levels were altered between the T2DM and normal rats.
