Wnt signaling pathway
Wnt signaling pathway
The Wnt signaling pathway (pronounced as "wint") is a group of signal transduction pathways made of proteins that pass signals into a cell through cell surface receptors.
Etymology
The name 'Wnt' is a portmanteau created from the names of two proteins, 'Wingless' and 'Integrated' or 'Int-1'. The pathway was first identified for its role in carcinogenesis, then for its function in embryonic development, including body axis patterning, cell fate specification, cell proliferation, and cell migration.
Function
The Wnt signaling pathway regulates crucial aspects of cell fate determination, cell migration, cell polarity, neural patterning and organogenesis during embryonic development. It is also involved in adult tissue homeostasis, and when aberrantly activated, can contribute to cancer and other diseases.
Components
The key components of the pathway are the Wnt protein, Frizzled receptors, Dishevelled protein, Beta-catenin, and the Axin complex.
Types
There are three types of Wnt signaling pathways: the canonical Wnt pathway, the noncanonical planar cell polarity pathway, and the noncanonical Wnt/calcium pathway.
Related Terms
- Wnt protein
- Frizzled
- Dishevelled
- Beta-catenin
- Axin
- Canonical Wnt pathway
- Noncanonical planar cell polarity pathway
- Noncanonical Wnt/calcium pathway
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