Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 11, 2025

Studying Wnt Signaling During Patterning of Conducting Airways
Published on: October 16, 2016
Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Potential of Wnt5a Signaling in Alveolar Epithelial Cell Development and
Jinglan Huang1,2, Xin Li3,4, Lan Huang1,2
1Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Abstract:
Wnt5a is a key regulator of non-canonical Wnt signaling, critically influencing alveolar epithelial cell dynamics during development and injury responses. Emerging evidence has revealed two conserved Wnt5a mediated mechanisms: ROR-dependent planar cell polarity signaling that orchestrates cytoskeletal reorganization during alveolar septation, and calcium-regulated transcriptional networks balancing type II alveolar epithelial progenitor maintenance and differentiation. Developmental studies demonstrate Wnt5a deficiency disrupts myofibroblast differentiation and alveologenesis, recapitulating bronchopulmonary dysplasia pathology, while its pathological elevation in hyperoxia models promotes extracellular matrix remodeling through LOX/YAP-mediated mechanotransduction. Therapeutic modulation of Wnt5a signaling shows promise, as ROR2 activation enhances mesenchymal stem cell-mediated alveolar repair, and Wnt5a supplementation rescues epithelial transdifferentiation defects in hyperoxia-induced injury. These findings position Wnt5a signaling as a pivotal node connecting developmental mechanisms with regenerative strategies for alveolar pathologies.
Related Concept Videos
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
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...
Hedgehog Signaling Pathway
Breathing

