Axis determination by inhibition of Wnt signaling in Xenopus

The Wnt family of secreted polypeptides participate in a variety of developmental processes in which embryonic polarity is established. To study a role for Wnt ligands in vertebrate axis determination, we interfered with Wnt signaling in the embryo using the extracellular domain of Xenopus Frizzled 8 (ECD8), which blocks Wnt-dependent activation of a target gene in Xenopus ectodermal explants. Expression of ECD8 in ventral blastomeres resulted in formation of secondary axes containing abundant notochord and head structures. These results suggest that Wnt signaling is required to maintain ventral cell fates and has to be suppressed for dorsal development to occur.