Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro
11:14

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro

Published on: December 10, 2021

Cancer biology: a new RING to Wnt signaling

Eric R Fearon1, Jason R Spence

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. fearon@med.umich.edu

Current Biology : CB
|October 13, 2012
PubMed

Insights

The Wnt signaling pathway regulates development and is crucial in cancer. Mutations in transmembrane RING finger proteins impact this pathway, contributing to cancer development.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cellular Signaling
  • Oncology

Background:

  • The β-catenin-dependent Wnt signaling pathway is vital for embryonic development and tissue homeostasis.
  • Dysregulation of Wnt signaling is implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous cancers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of transmembrane RING finger ubiquitin ligases in Wnt signaling.
  • To explore the impact of mutations in these ligases on cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Focus on recent studies examining Wnt signaling modulation.
  • Analysis of mutations in RING finger proteins.

Main Results:

  • Transmembrane RING finger ubiquitin ligases modulate Wnt signaling.
  • Mutations in these proteins are associated with cancer.

Conclusions:

  • RING finger proteins are key regulators of Wnt signaling.
  • Their mutations represent a potential mechanism driving cancer progression.

More Related Videos

The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay08:01

The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay

Published on: October 27, 2014

Related Concept Videos

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

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 Pathway02:54

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...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

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 Pathways01:41

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...
Catenins01:23

Catenins

Catenins are characterized by multiple binding domains and dynamic structures that allow them to function as linker proteins in cell junction complexes. All catenins, except α-catenin, contain a characteristic protein sequence called the armadillo repeat and are therefore also called armadillo proteins.
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...
Hedgehog Signaling Pathway02:33

Hedgehog Signaling Pathway

The Hedgehog gene (Hh) was first discovered due to its control of the growth of disorganized, hair-like bristles phenotype in Drosophila, much like hedgehog spines. Hh plays a crucial role in the development of organs and the maintenance of homeostasis in both invertebrates and vertebrates. However, while Drosophila has only one Hh protein, mammals have multiple functional Hedgehog proteins - Sonic (Shh), Desert (Dhh), and Indian Hedgehog (Ihh). All of these homologous proteins have adapted to...