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Wnt Network: A Brief Review of Pathways and Multifunctional Components

Fereshte Abdolmaleki1, Hossein Ahmadpour-Yazdi2, Seyed Mohammad Gheibi Hayat3

  • 1Student Research Committee, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Qazvin, Iran.

Critical Reviews in Eukaryotic Gene Expression
|May 19, 2020
PubMed

Insights

The Wnt signaling pathway regulates development and disease. This review overviews noncanonical pathways and focuses on the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway, its components, and cancer implications.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • The Wnt signaling pathway is crucial for embryonic development, cell migration, and hematopoiesis.
  • Canonical Wnt signaling is primarily known to be β-catenin-dependent.
  • Emerging research highlights three β-catenin-independent noncanonical Wnt pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a comprehensive overview of the noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways.
  • To detail the components of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, including ligands, agonists, and antagonists.
  • To discuss the mechanisms of β-catenin in both cytoplasmic and nuclear contexts and its role in cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of Wnt signaling pathways.
  • Analysis of canonical Wnt signaling components.
  • Exploration of β-catenin's role in intracellular signaling.

Main Results:

  • Noncanonical Wnt pathways involve calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II, protein kinase C, planar cell polarity, and heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins.
  • Canonical Wnt signaling relies on β-catenin for signal transduction.
  • Wnt/β-catenin signaling has significant implications in various cancers.

Conclusions:

  • Wnt signaling encompasses diverse pathways, both canonical and noncanonical.
  • Understanding the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway is vital for comprehending its biological roles.
  • The Wnt/β-catenin pathway represents a potential therapeutic target in oncology.

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