WNT3 inhibits cerebellar granule neuron progenitor proliferation and medulloblastoma formation via MAPK activation

Anne, S. L., Govek, E. E., Ayrault, O., Kim, J. H., Zhu, X., Murphy, D. A., Van Aelst, L., Roussel, M. F., Hatten, M. E. (2013) WNT3 inhibits cerebellar granule neuron progenitor proliferation and medulloblastoma formation via MAPK activation. PLoS ONE, 8 (11). ISSN 19326203 (ISSN)

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URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24303070
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081769

Abstract

During normal cerebellar development, the remarkable expansion of granule cell progenitors (GCPs) generates a population of granule neurons that outnumbers the total neuronal population of the cerebral cortex, and provides a model for identifying signaling pathways that may be defective in medulloblastoma. While many studies focus on identifying pathways that promote growth of GCPs, a critical unanswered question concerns the identification of signaling pathways that block mitogenic stimulation and induce early steps in differentiation. Here we identify WNT3 as a novel suppressor of GCP proliferation during cerebellar development and an inhibitor of medulloblastoma growth in mice. WNT3, produced in early postnatal cerebellum, inhibits GCP proliferation by down-regulating proproliferative target genes of the mitogen Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) and the bHLH transcription factor Atoh1. WNT3 suppresses GCP growth through a non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway, activating prototypic mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), the Ras-dependent extracellular-signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and ERK5, instead of the classical β-catenin pathway. Inhibition of MAPK activity using a MAPK kinase (MEK) inhibitor reversed the inhibitory effect of WNT3 on GCP proliferation. Importantly, WNT3 inhibits proliferation of medulloblastoma tumor growth in mouse models by a similar mechanism. Thus, the present study suggests a novel role for WNT3 as a regulator of neurogenesis and repressor of neural tumors. © 2013 Anne et al.

Item Type: Paper
Subjects: diseases & disorders > cancer
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > organs types and functions > brain
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell functions > cell proliferation
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types > enzymes > Mitogen-activated protein kinase
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > progenitor cell
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > progenitor cell
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > progenitor cell
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL Cancer Center Shared Resources > Microscopy Service
CSHL labs > Van Aelst lab
CSHL Cancer Center Program > Signal Transduction
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: 2013
Date Deposited: 14 Mar 2014 14:30
Last Modified: 15 Oct 2015 16:34
PMCID: PMC3841149
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/29671

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