Canonical Wnt signalling and its transcriptional effector β-catenin have been implicated in embryonic stem cell (ESC) function. Self-renewal is now shown to be maintained in β-catenin-deficient mouse ESCs, whereas mesendodermal and neuronal differentiation are impaired. A β-catenin variant that cannot function in transcription but re-establishes cadherin-mediated cell-adhesion rescues these differentiation defects.
- Natalia Lyashenko
- Markus Winter
- Christine Hartmann
