Cell polarity control by Wnt morphogens
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Updated: Sep 26, 2025

Modeling Paracrine Noncanonical Wnt Signaling In Vitro
Published on: December 10, 2021
Chung-Kuan Chen1, Chun-Liang Pan2
1Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Program in Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
Abstract:
Cell polarity is regulated by both intrinsic properties of the cell and extrinsic factors in the environment. Wnts are secreted glycoproteins in graded distribution, and they function as morphogens to instruct cell fate and as guidance cues to steer axon growth cone, respectively. Recent studies suggest that Wnts also instruct cell polarization in diverse contexts, by engaging cytoskeletal machineries or transcriptional mechanisms. Here we review the literature of cell polarity control by Wnt glycoproteins, with an emphasis on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a multi-cellular organism in which the importance of polarity-inducing factors can be verified in vivo. In both embryonic and postembryonic cell lineages that undergo asymmetric division, Wnts act as directional signals to instruct the asymmetry of mitosis. In C. elegans, Wnts polarize neuroblasts to control their directional migration, and they also specify axon-dendrite polarity by providing spatial instruction for postmitotic neurons. Together this review summarizes recent advances and unsolved issues in cell polarity control by Wnt glycoproteins.
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