The segment polarity gene wingless is the Drosophila ortholog of mouse Wnt-1, a proto-oncogene capable of causing transformation of mammary epithelial cells. These two genes presently represent the best studied members of the Wnt gene family. To evaluate the functional significance of the sequence conservation between wingless and Wnt-1, we have examined the effects of expressing the Drosophila gene in mouse mammary epithelial cell lines, wingless induced morphological transformation, focus formation, and mitogenesis in confluent cultures of these cells, with resulting phenotypes comparable to those obtained with mouse Wnt-1. In addition, RAC311c mammary cells expressing wingless were tumorigenic, indicating that the Drosophila gene is capable of inducing full neoplastic transformation. In cell co-culture experiments, wingless caused transformation via a paracrine mechanism, consistent with the extracellular location of its product and its proposed mechanism of action in Drosophila embryos. Our results indicate that wingless is functionally analogous to Wnt-1 in these mammary cell transformation assays and imply a striking conservation in the properties of the two gene products and their mechanisms of action.
Development Journal Meeting 2022: From Stem Cells to Human Development
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Following a virtual meeting in 2020, we are delighted to announce that the fifth iteration of our popular Journal Meeting will be held from 11-14 September 2022 at the historic Wotton House, Surrey. Registration is open now.
Preprints in Development
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As part of our efforts to support the use of preprints and help curate the preprint literature, we are delighted to launch a new article type: ‘In preprints’. These pieces will discuss one or more recent preprints and place them in a broader context.
Submit your next Techniques and Resources paper to Development
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Development regularly publishes Techniques and Resources papers. These manuscripts describe a novel technique, a substantial advance of an existing technique, or a new resource that will have a significant impact on developmental biology research. Find out more here.
Transitions in development: Rashmi Priya
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Rashmi Priya’s research group uses the zebrafish heart as a model system to understand the complex morphogenetic events of organogenesis. We interviewed Rashmi to learn about her career path so far, and to discuss the challenges of starting a lab in the middle of a global pandemic.
The Node Network
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The Node Network is a global directory of developmental and stem cell biologists, designed to help you find speakers, referees, panel members and potential collaborators. Find out more about the Node Network.
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