Wnt and Frizzled Gene Expression in Stem Cells
Author Information
Author(s): Okoye Ujunwa C, Malbon Craig C, Wang Hsien-yu
Primary Institution: State University of New York at Stony Brook
Hypothesis
The expression patterns of Wnt and Frizzled genes in human mesenchymal and embryonic stem cells are largely unknown.
Conclusion
Puripotent human H7 and mouse F9 embryonal cells express the genes for most of the Wnts and Frizzleds, while multipotent human mesenchymal cells lack expression of Frizzled-8 and six Wnt genes.
Supporting Evidence
- H7 cells expressed RNA for each of the 19 Wnt genes.
- Human mesenchymal cells did not display detectable RNA expression of six Wnt genes.
- Both LRP5 and LRP6 co-receptor genes are expressed in the mouse F9 cells.
Takeaway
Some stem cells have all the genes they need to grow and develop, but other types of stem cells have lost some important genes.
Methodology
RNA expression profiling was conducted using RT-PCR on human embryonic stem cells (H7), human mesenchymal cells, and mouse F9 cells.
Limitations
The study does not provide a detailed analysis of the functional implications of the lost gene expressions in mesenchymal cells.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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