Dapper, a Dishevelled-associated antagonist of beta-catenin and JNK signaling, is required for notochord formation
Cheyette, B.N.R., Waxman, J.S., Miller, J.R., Takemaru, K.-I., Sheldahl, L.C., Khlebtsova, N., Fox, E.P., Earnest, T., Moon, R.T.(2002) Dev Cell 2: 449-461
- PubMed: 11970895 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s1534-5807(02)00140-5
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
1L6O - PubMed Abstract: 
Dapper was isolated in a screen for proteins interacting with Dishevelled, a key factor in Wnt signaling. Dapper and Dishevelled colocalize intracellularly and form a complex with Axin, GSK-3, CKI, and beta-catenin. Overexpression of Dapper increases Axin and GSK-3 in this complex, resulting in decreased soluble beta-catenin and decreased activation of beta-catenin-responsive genes. Dapper also inhibits activation by Dishevelled of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), a component of beta-catenin-independent Frizzled signaling. Inhibition of Dapper activates both beta-catenin-responsive genes and an AP1-responsive promoter, demonstrating that Dapper is a general Dishevelled antagonist. Depletion of maternal Dapper RNA from Xenopus embryos results in loss of notochord and head structures, demonstrating that Dapper is required for normal vertebrate development.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Pharmacology and Center for Developmental Biology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.