Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Reconstitution Of β-catenin Degradation In Xenopus Egg Extract
Published on: June 17, 2014
Wnt and calcium signaling: beta-catenin-independent pathways
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Division of Hematology, Department of Pharmacology, and the Center for Developmental Biology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Box 357750, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Abstract:
Wnt signaling is a complex pathway in which beta-catenin is typically viewed as a central mediator. However, within the past 15 years, at least three Wnt-mediated pathways have been proposed that function independent of beta-catenin. One pathway involves activation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CamKII) and protein kinase C (PKC). Another includes recruitment of heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins to activate phospholipase C (PLC) and phosphodiesterase (PDE). Lastly, a pathway similar to the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway in Drosophila has been identified that activates the Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) and, perhaps, small GTP-binding proteins. Calcium has been implicated as an important second messenger in all of these pathways. This review will focus on the role of calcium in Wnt signaling and, as a consequence, provide a limited overview of beta-catenin-independent Wnt signaling.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
Catenins
Catenins in Cell Junctions
Catenins bind to cell adhesion molecules such as cadherins and link them to different cytoskeletal proteins depending on the type of cell junction. At the adherens...
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
