Involvement of clustered oyster Wnt genes in gut formation

• Published in: Journal of Oceanology and Limnology
• Main Authors: Liu Jun, Xu Fei, Ji Peng, Li Li, Zhang Guofan
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: SCIENCE PRESS 2018
• Subjects: gene cluster; tissue distribution; digestive gland; immunofluorescence; Crassostrea gigas; Marine & Freshwater Biology; Oceanography; Limnology; MYTILUS-TROSSULUS MOLLUSCA; INTESTINAL REGENERATION; EXPRESSION PATTERNS; COMPONENTS; MORPHOGENESIS; ADAPTATION; COMPLEXITY; ENDODERM; MESODERM; BIVALVIA
• Online Access: http://ir.qdio.ac.cn/handle/337002/156411; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-018-7138-1

Genes encoding Wnt ligands play important roles in organ development. The Wnt10-Wnt6-Wnt1-Wnt9 cluster widely presents in many metazoan genomes, indicating the importance of gene arrangement. Hypothesis has been proposed that they may be coordinately regulated. However, few expression correlations were identified in model animals. We analyzed the tissue expression pattern of clustered oyster Wnt10, Wnt6, Wnt1, and Wnt9a genes in this study. The results indicated the highest expression level in adult gut system of these clustered Wnt genes, except for Wnt6, which had highest expression in mantle. Further whole-mount immunofluorescence assay indicated that Wnt6 protein was restricted to gut region in oyster larvae. These results suggest the possible important role of the Wnt10-Wnt6-Wnt1-Wnt9 cluster in oyster gut formation.