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Wnt family

The designation "Wnt" is an acronym coined from the Drosophila melanogaster wingless gene, which is the Drosophila homolog of int-1, identified originally as a chromosomal site of insertion of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) on mouse chromosome 15. Wnt genes are structurally related genes that encode cysteine-rich secreted glycoproteins associated with the extracellular matrix of cells. All mammalian Wnt proteins are secreted proteins with a length of approximately 350-400 amino acids. They contain a large conserved domain that includes 22 cysteine residues, the relative spacing of which is exactly conserved in the majority of the known Wnt proteins.

Orthologs of Wnt genes have been described in other species including chicken, frog, and fish (Garriock et al, 2007). The expression of Wnt family genes appears to be developmentally regulated in a precise temporal and spatial manner. Wnt family members are involved in the regulation of cell fate and patterning during embryogenesis (in combination with other factors) and have been implicated also in oncogenesis. Wnt proteins control a wide range of developmental processes in organisms ranging from the simple metazoan Hydra to vertebrates.

Many of the Wnt proteins act through multiple receptors and elicit at least two distinct types of signaling pathways, depending upon which receptor is being utilized. In this context, the term "canonical Wnt signaling" refers to the observation that some Wnt proteins induce beta-catenin protein stabilization and entry into the nucleus, where it complexes with T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor transcription factors to affect the transcription of target genes. The term "non-canonical Wnt signaling" refers to signaling pathways that do not involve stabilization of beta-catenin (Novak and Dedhar, 1999; Sakana et al, 2000; Malaterre et al, 2007; Hendrickx and Leyns, 2008). Activities of Wnt proteins are modulated by soluble proteins known as secreted frizzled-related proteins (see: sFRP) (Bovolenta et al, 2008).

For individual members of the Wnt family see:

• Wnt-1
• Wnt-2
• Wnt-2b
• Wnt-3
• Wnt-3a
• Wnt-4
• Wnt-5a
• Wnt-5b
• Wnt-6
• Wnt-7a
• Wnt-7b
• Wnt-7c
• Wnt-8a
• Wnt-8b
• Wnt-9a
• Wnt-9b
• Wnt-10a
• Wnt-10b
• Wnt-11
• Wnt-12
• Wnt-13
• Wnt-13a
• Wnt-13b
• Wnt-13c
• Wnt-14
• Wnt-14b
• Wnt-15
• Wnt-16
• Wnt-16a
• Wnt-16b

LAST MODIFIED: October 2008

See REFERENCES for entry Wnt family

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