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Kinetics Of Hedgehog-Dependent Full-Length Gli3 Accumulation In Primary Cilia And Subsequent Degradation, Xiaohui Wen, Cary Lai, Marie Evangelista, Jo-Anne Hongo, Frederic J. De Sauvage, Suzie J. Scales

Biology Faculty Publications

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in vertebrates depends on intraflagellar transport (IFT) within primary cilia. The Hh receptor Patched is found in cilia in the absence of Hh and is replaced by the signal transducer Smoothened within an hour of Hh stimulation. By generating antibodies capable of detecting endogenous pathway transcription factors Gli2 and Gli3, we monitored their kinetics of accumulation in cilia upon Hh stimulation. Localization occurs within minutes of Hh addition, making it the fastest reported readout of pathway activity, which permits more precise temporal and spatial localization of Hh signaling events. We show that the species of Gli3 that …

Acoel And Platyhelminth Models For Stem-Cell Research, A. E. Bely, James M. Sikes Ph.D.

Biology Faculty Publications

Acoel and platyhelminth worms are particularly attractive invertebrate models for stem-cell research because their bodies are continually renewed from large pools of somatic stem cells. Several recent studies, including one in BMC Developmental Biology, are beginning to reveal the cellular dynamics and molecular basis of stem-cell function in these animals.

See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-213X/9/69.

Adult somatic stem cells can play critical roles in postembryonic developmental processes such as tissue renewal, growth, repair, and regeneration [1]. Understanding how such cells are maintained and produce differentiated progeny is thus of general interest in developmental biology, in addition to …