华南理工大学王强小组在研究中取得进展。他们的最新研究揭示了Wnt2bb信号通过激活斑马鱼Yap表达， 促进咽软骨前体细胞增殖和软骨细胞成熟。该项研究成果发表在2024年11月19日出版的《遗传学报》上。

研究人员表示，咽软骨的形态发生对颅面结构的形成至关重要。颅神经嵴细胞位于神经板边界，迁移到咽弓，分化为咽软骨细胞，随后在成熟过程中变平、拉长并像硬币一样堆叠。尽管软骨细胞成熟前的发育过程已被广泛研究，但其随后的形态和组织变化在很大程度上仍是未知的。

该团队发现wnt2bb在斑马鱼靠近软骨前体细胞的咽外胚层中表达。Wnt2bb的失活导致细胞核β-连环蛋白的减少，从而损害软骨前体细胞增殖，破坏软骨细胞的形态发生和组织，最终导致咽软骨严重萎缩。

β-catenin在wnt2bb /突变体中伴随着Yap表达的减少。Yap的再激活可以恢复软骨细胞祖细胞的增殖以及咽软骨细胞的正常大小、形状和堆叠。他们的研究结果表明，Wnt/β-catenin信号传导促进Yap的表达，从而调节斑马鱼咽软骨的形成。

附：英文原文

Title: Wnt2bb signaling promotes pharyngeal chondrogenic precursor proliferation and chondrocyte maturation by activating Yap expression in zebrafish

Author: Xinyu He b, Qiang Wang b c

Issue&Volume: 2024/11/19

Abstract: Pharyngeal cartilage morphogenesis is crucial for the formation of craniofacial structures. Cranial neural crest cells are specified at the neural plate border, migrate to pharyngeal arches, and differentiate into pharyngeal chondrocytes, which subsequently flatten, elongate, and stack like coins during maturation. Although the developmental processes prior to chondrocyte maturation have been extensively studied, their subsequent changes in morphology and organization remain largely elusive. Here, we show that wnt2bb is expressed in the pharyngeal ectoderm adjacent to the chondrogenic precursor cells in zebrafish. Inactivation of Wnt2bb leads to a reduction in nuclear β-catenin, which impairs chondrogenic precursor proliferation and disrupts chondrocyte morphogenesis and organization, eventually causing a severe shrinkage of pharyngeal cartilages. Moreover, the decrease of β-catenin in wnt2bb/ mutants is accompanied by the reduction of Yap expression. Reactivation of Yap can restore the proliferation of chondrocyte progenitors as well as the proper size, shape, and stacking of pharyngeal chondrocytes. Our findings suggest that Wnt/β-catenin signaling promotes Yap expression to regulate pharyngeal cartilage formation in zebrafish.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2024.11.006

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1673852724003072