Cells at the anterior boundary of the neural plate (ANB) can induce telencephalic gene expression when transplanted to more posterior regions. Here, we identify a secreted Frizzled-related Wnt antagonist, Tlc, that is expressed in ANB cells and can cell nonautonomously promote telencephalic gene expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, abrogation of Tlc function compromises telencephalic development. We also identify Wnt8b as a locally acting modulator of regional fate in the anterior neural plate and a likely target for antagonism by Tlc. Finally, we show that tlc expression is regulated by signals that establish early antero-posterior and dorso-ventral ectodermal pattern. From these studies, we propose that local antagonism of Wnt activity within the anterior ectoderm is required to establish the telencephalon.
Zebrafish embryos homozygous for the masterblind (mbl) mutation exhibit a striking phenotype in which the eyes and telencephalon are reduced or absent and diencephalic fates expand to the front of the brain. Here we show that mbl −/− embryos carry an amino-acid change at a conserved site in the Wnt pathway scaffolding protein, Axin1. The amino-acid substitution present in the mbl allele abolishes the binding of Axin to Gsk3 and affects Tcf-dependent transcription. Therefore, Gsk3 activity may be decreased in mbl −/− embryos and in support of this possibility, overexpression of either wild-type Axin1 or Gsk3 can restore eye and telencephalic fates to mbl −/− embryos. Our data reveal a crucial role for Axin1-dependent inhibition of the Wnt pathway in the early regional subdivision of the anterior neural plate into telencephalic, diencephalic, and eye-forming territories.
During early formation of the eye, the optic vesicle becomes partitioned into a proximal domain that forms the optic nerve and a distal domain that forms the retina. In this study, we investigate the activity of Nodal, Hedgehog (
Four new quercetin-derived oxidation products (1-4) and lunularin-4-O-beta-D-glucoside (5) were isolated from a water extract of onion (Allium cepa) skin, together with 17 other known compounds. Antibacterial assays for the isolated compounds showed that 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-4,6-dihydroxy-2-methoxybenzofuran-3-one (1) presented selective activity against Helicobacter pylori strains and 3-(quercetin-8-yl)-2,3-epoxyflavanone (4) showed antibacterial activity against MRSA and H. pylori strains at the same time that it increased susceptibility of MRSA to beta-lactams. Evaluation of antioxidant activity against DPPH for the isolated compounds showed that the new derivative compounds (1-4) and 2,5,7,3',4'-pentahydroxy-3,4-flavandione (6) are more active than quercetin.
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