A family of cysteine rich glycoproteins, with at least 15 members in vertebrates
Wnt name origin
Fusing the name of the Drosophila segment polarity gene wingless with the name of one of its vertebrate homologues, integrated
Sonic hedgehog
Important in patterning the ventral portion of the somites, causing the cells to become cartilage
Wnt1
Appears to be active in inducing the dorsal cells of the somites to become muscle
Wnt proteins
Critical in establishing the polarity of insect and vertebrate limbs
Used in several steps of urogenital system development
Wnt signaling
Has a significant role in many adult developmental processes, such as gastrulation, axis formation, cell polarity, organ development and maintenance of cancer stem cell pluripotency
β-catenin
The central regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling
Structure of β-catenin
N-terminal domain
Armadillo domain
C-terminal domain
Wnt signaling pathway activation
1. Wnt ligands bind to cell surface receptors (Frizzled and LRP)
2. Activate the targeting proteins APC and Axin
3. Cause dephosphorylation of GSK-3β
4. Recruit the cytosolic protein Dishevelled (Dvl)
5. Lead to the accumulation of β-catenin in the cytoplasm
