Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2026

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro
11:14

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro

Published on: December 10, 2021

Wnt5a attenuates Wnt/β-catenin signalling in human dermal papilla cells

Mi Hee Kwack, Moon Kyu Kim, Jung Chul Kim

    Experimental Dermatology
    |March 16, 2013
    PubMed

    Insights

    Wnt5a, highly expressed in hair dermal papilla (DP) cells, attenuates the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This suggests Wnt5a acts as an autocrine factor influencing hair follicle biology.

    Area of Science:

    • Cell Biology
    • Molecular Biology
    • Dermatology

    Background:

    • Recent studies indicate Wnt5a modulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling, with high expression in hair follicular dermal papilla (DP) cells.
    • The role of Wnt5a in regulating canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling specifically within DP cells remains to be fully elucidated.

    Discussion:

    • Wnt5a treatment attenuated Wnt3a-induced β-catenin signaling and target gene expression (Axin2, EP2, LEF1) in cultured DP cells.
    • Conversely, Wnt5a siRNA transfection enhanced Wnt3a-mediated signaling and gene expression in isolated DPs.
    • Wnt5a inhibited Wnt3a-induced nuclear accumulation of β-catenin in DP cells.

    Key Insights:

    • Wnt5a functions as an autocrine factor in human DP cells.
    • Wnt5a actively attenuates the canonical Wnt signaling pathway.
    • This cross-talk between Wnt5a and canonical Wnt signaling is crucial for DP cell function.

    Outlook:

    • Further investigation into Wnt5a's precise mechanisms in DP cells could reveal therapeutic targets for hair disorders.
    • Understanding this autocrine regulation may offer insights into hair follicle regeneration and homeostasis.
    • Exploring the interplay between Wnt5a and other Wnt ligands could uncover novel signaling networks in hair biology.

    More Related Videos

    The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay08:01

    The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay

    Published on: October 27, 2014

    Related Concept Videos

    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...
    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...
    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...
    Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal01:12

    Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal

    Notch signaling was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is involved in cell lineage differentiation. Notch signaling regulates the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells or ISCs by controlling the expression of atonal homolog 1 or Atoh1. Atoh1 directs cells to differentiate into secretory cells.
    Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...