Wnt glycoproteins regulate the expression of FoxN1, the gene defective in nude mice

• Published in: Nature immunology Vol. 3; no. 11; pp. 1102 - 1108
• Main Authors: Balciunaite, Gina, Keller, Marcel P., Balciunaite, Egle, Piali, Luca, Zuklys, Saulius, Mathieu, Yves D., Gill, Jason, Boyd, Richard, Sussman, Daniel J., Holländer, Georg A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.11.2002; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 3T3 Cells; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Animals; Autocrine Communication; beta Catenin; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell Differentiation; Chromones - pharmacology; Cytoskeletal Proteins - biosynthesis; Cytoskeletal Proteins - genetics; Dishevelled Proteins; DNA-Binding Proteins - biosynthesis; DNA-Binding Proteins - deficiency; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Epithelial Cells - metabolism; Epithelial Cells - ultrastructure; Forkhead Transcription Factors; Gene Expression Regulation; Genes, Reporter; Glycoproteins; Glycoproteins - biosynthesis; Glycoproteins - genetics; Glycoproteins - physiology; Immunology; Infectious Diseases; Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; Lymphopoiesis - genetics; Mice; Mice, Nude; Morphogenesis; Morpholines - pharmacology; Paracrine Communication; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - antagonists & inhibitors; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - physiology; Phosphoproteins - biosynthesis; Phosphoproteins - genetics; Phosphorylation; Protein Biosynthesis; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases; Proteins - genetics; Proteins - physiology; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - biosynthesis; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - genetics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - metabolism; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - physiology; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Receptors, Cell Surface - biosynthesis; Receptors, Cell Surface - genetics; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - physiology; T-Lymphocytes - cytology; TCF Transcription Factors; Thymus Gland - cytology; Thymus Gland - metabolism; Trans-Activators - biosynthesis; Trans-Activators - genetics; Transcription Factor 7-Like 2 Protein; Transcription Factors - biosynthesis; Transcription Factors - deficiency; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - physiology; Transcription, Genetic; Wnt Proteins; Wnt3 Protein; Wnt4 Protein; Xenopus Proteins; Zebrafish Proteins
• ISSN: 1529-2908; 1529-2916
• DOI: 10.1038/ni850

T cell development and selection require the fully mature and diverse epithelial microenvironment of the thymus. Acquisition of these characteristics is dependent on expression of the forkhead (also known as winged-helix) transcription factor FoxN1, as a lack of functional FoxN1 results in aberrant epithelial morphogenesis and an inability to attract lymphoid precursors to the thymus primordium. However, the transcriptional control of Foxn1 expression has not been elucidated. Here we report that secreted Wnt glycoproteins, expressed by thymic epithelial cells and thymocytes, regulate epithelial Foxn1 expression in both autocrine and paracrine fashions. Wnt molecules therefore provide regulatory signals critical for thymic function.