Wnt10b Participates in Regulating Fatty Acid Synthesis in the Muscle of Zebrafish.

Dongwu Liu,Qiang Han,Qilong Shi,Qiuxiang Pang,Qin Zhang,Hairui Yu

doi:10.3390/cells8091011

Abstract

There are 19 Wnt genes in mammals that belong to 12 subfamilies. Wnt signaling pathways participate in regulating numerous homeostatic and developmental processes in animals. However, the function of Wnt10b in fatty acid synthesis remains unclear in fish species. In the present study, we uncovered the role of the Wnt10b signaling pathway in the regulation of fatty acid synthesis in the muscle of zebrafish. The gene of Wnt10b was overexpressed in the muscle of zebrafish using pEGFP-N1-Wnt10b vector injection, which significantly decreased the expression of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β), but increased the expression of β-catenin, peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα). Moreover, the activity and mRNA expression of key lipogenic enzymes ATP-citrate lyase (ACL), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acid synthetase (FAS), and the content of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) were also significantly decreased. Furthermore, interference of the Wnt10b gene significantly inhibited the expression of β-catenin, PPARγ, and C/EBPα, but significantly induced the expression of GSK-3β, FAS, ACC, and ACL. The content of NEFA, TC, and TG as well as the activity of FAS, ACC, and ACL significantly increased. Thus, our results showed that Wnt10b participates in regulating fatty acid synthesis via β-catenin, C/EBPα and PPARγ in the muscle of zebrafish.

Highlights

Wnts have been extensively studied in vertebrate model organisms
The subfamilies of Wnt genes are involved in the early stages of evolution
glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) can phosphorylate β-catenin, which leads to the degradation of β-catenin [18,19]

Summary

Introduction

Wnts have been extensively studied in vertebrate model organisms. The human and mouse genomes contain 19 different Wnt genes, which have been assigned to 12 subclasses (Wnt throughWnt and Wnt16) based on peptide sequence identity [1,2]. Wnts have been extensively studied in vertebrate model organisms. The human and mouse genomes contain 19 different Wnt genes, which have been assigned to 12 subclasses Wnt and Wnt16) based on peptide sequence identity [1,2]. The subfamilies of Wnt genes are involved in the early stages of evolution. It has been reported that 11 subfamilies of Wnts are identified in Cnidaria, a group splitting from the last common ancestor of Bilaterians [3]. Wnts participate in regulating a variety of key developmental and homeostatic processes in animals. Over the last two decades, the implication of Wnts in a wide array of signaling pathways has made

Methods

Results

Conclusion