Wnt signaling: a common theme in animal development
Open accessAbstract
Wnt proteins are now recognized as one of the major families of developmentally important signaling molecules, with mutations in Wnt genes displaying remarkable phenotypes in the mouse, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila. Among functions provided by Wnt proteins are such intriguing processes as embryonic induction, the generation of cell polarity, and the specification of cell fate. Until recently, our knowledge of the molecular mechanism of Wnt signaling was very limited, but over the past year, several major gaps have been filled. These include the identification of cell-surface receptors and a novel mechanism of relaying the signal to the cell nucleus. In addition, several components of Wnt signaling are implicated in the genesis of human cancer. These insights have come from different corners of the animal kingdom and have converged on a common pathway. At this junction in this rapidly evolving field, we review our current understanding of Wnt function and signaling mechanisms, doing so in a comparative approach. We have put emphasis on the latest findings, highlighting novelty and underscoring questions that remain. For additional literature, we refer to several previous reviews (McMahon 1992; Nusse and Varmus 1992; Klingensmith and Nusse 1994; Miller and Moon 1996; Moon et al. 1997). We have limited the number of references, particularly in the tables. Fully referenced forms of these tables can be found on the Wnt homepage (http://wwwleland.stanford.edu/∼rnusse/wntwindow.html).
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β-Catenin translocates into the nucleus, where it forms a complex with HMG box transcription factors including LEF-1 and TCF, and activates transcription of target genes.
“β-Catenin then translocates into the nucleus, where it forms a complex with the HMG box class of transcription factors, including lymphoid enhancer factor 1 (LEF-1) and T-cell factor (TCF), and activates the transcription of its target genes (5, 17, 20).”
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- Authors
- Cadigan, K. M., & Nusse, R.
- Affiliations
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- ORCID
- Cadigan, Ken M.
- Venue
- Genes & Development
- Publisher
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- Published
- 1997-12-15
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 24
- Pages
- 3286-3305
- ISSN
- 0890-9369 (ISSN-L)
- 1549-5477
- OpenAlex
- W1975853332
- Cited by
- 2,567
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 42 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 57 · 2017: 70 · 2016: 57 · 2015: 85 · 2014: 87 · 2013: 94 · 2012: 83
- Type
- posted content
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Genes & Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Wnt/β-catenin signaling in development and cancer
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Hedgehog Signaling Pathway Studies
- Keywords
- Wnt signaling, Wnt proteins, animal development, embryonic induction, cell polarity, cell fate specification, Wnt receptors, cancer, comparative developmental biology, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila, mice
- MeSH terms
- Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Cell Adhesion, Cytoskeletal Proteins, Embryonic Induction, Humans, Membrane Proteins, Molecular Sequence Data, Phenotype, Proteoglycans, Proto-Oncogene Proteins, Vertebrates, Signal Transduction, Trans-Activators, Caenorhabditis elegans, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Drosophila Proteins, Zebrafish Proteins, Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled, Wnt Proteins, Frizzled Receptors, beta Catenin
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