Wnt/β-catenin signalling and the dynamics of fate mouse embryos and embryonic stem (ES) cells

Wnt/beta-catenin signalling is a widespread cell signalling pathway with multiple roles during vertebrate development. In mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells, there is a dual role for beta-catenin: it promotes differentiation when activated as part of the Wnt/beta-catenin signalling pathway, and promotes stable pluripotency independently of signalling. Although mES cells resemble the preimplantation epiblast progenitors, the first requirement for Wnt/beta-catenin signalling during mouse development has been reported at implantation [1,2]. The relationship between beta-catenin and pluripotency and that of mES cells with epiblast progenitors suggests that beta-catenin might have a functional role during preimplantation development. Here we summarize the expression and function of Wnt/beta-catenin signalling elements during the early stages of mouse development and consider the reasons why the requirement in ES cells do not reflect the embryo. Crown Copyright (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.