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Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...

Protein Families

Protein Families

Protein families are groups of homologous proteins; that is, they have similarities in amino acid sequences and three-dimensional structures. Protein families usually occur because of gene duplication, where an additional copy of a gene is inserted into the genome of an organism. Mutations that change the amino acids but still allow the protein to be properly synthesized, will lead to new protein family members. If these new proteins contain similar amino acids in key locations, protein...

Protein Families

Protein Families

Protein families are groups of homologous proteins; that is, they have similarities in amino acid sequences and three-dimensional structures. Protein families usually occur because of gene duplication, where an additional copy of a gene is inserted into the genome of an organism. Mutations that change the amino acids but still allow the protein to be properly synthesized, will lead to new protein family members. If these new proteins contain similar amino acids in key locations, protein...

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...

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Related Experiment Video

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An Introduction to Parasitic Wasps of Drosophila and the Antiparasite Immune Response

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WASP family proteins: their evolution and its physiological implications.

Douwe M Veltman¹, Robert H Insall

¹Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Molecular Biology of the Cell

|June 25, 2010

Summary

This study reveals the WASP protein family is more diverse than previously thought, with ancient subfamilies like WASH and SCAR/WAVE playing key roles in actin polymerization and vesicle traffic.

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Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Molecular Biology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

WASP family proteins are crucial regulators of actin polymerization, activating the Arp2/3 complex.
The evolutionary history, regulation, and physiological roles of WASP subfamilies are not fully understood.
The complete repertoire of WASP family proteins remains to be identified.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify novel WASP family proteins through an extensive search.
To elucidate the evolutionary conservation and functional diversification of WASP subfamilies.
To understand the structural and functional relationships within WASP regulatory complexes.

Main Methods:

Comparative genomic analysis to identify WASP family proteins across diverse species.
Phylogenetic analysis to reconstruct the evolutionary history of WASP subfamilies.
Functional domain analysis to assess conserved and variable regions.

Main Results:

Few novel WASP family proteins were identified, suggesting the major subfamilies are known.
The WASH and SCAR/WAVE subfamilies are ancient and universally conserved, with WASH being the most widespread.
WHAMM/JMY proteins first appeared in invertebrates, indicating a later evolutionary origin.
A Dictyostelium WASP homologue demonstrated functional plasticity with a divergent domain topology.
WASH and SCAR/WAVE regulatory complexes exhibit high conservation, implying functional interdependence.
Distinctive C motifs in each subfamily suggest subfamily-specific functions.

Conclusions:

The WASP protein family is more widespread and diverse than previously appreciated.
The Arp2/3 complex's physiological role is significantly biased towards vesicle trafficking.
Understanding WASP family evolution and function provides insights into actin dynamics and cellular processes.