The Wnt genes encode a large family of secreted polypeptides that mediate cell-cell communication in diverse developmental processes. The loss or inappropriate activation of Wnt expression has been shown to alter cell fate, morphogenesis and mitogenesis. Recent progress has identified Wnt receptors and components of an intracellular signalling pathway that mediate Wnt-dependent transcription. T...

BACKGROUND The role of Wnt signalling in carcinogenesis suggests compounds targeting this pathway as potential anti-cancer drugs. Several studies report activation of Wnt signalling in biliary tract cancer (BTC) thus rendering Wnt inhibitory drugs as potential candidates for targeted therapy of this highly chemoresistant disease. METHODS In this study we analysed five compounds with suggested...

Lhx1 encodes a LIM homeobox transcription factor that is expressed in the primitive streak, mesoderm and anterior mesendoderm of the mouse embryo. Using a conditional Lhx1 flox mutation and three different Cre deleters, we demonstrated that LHX1 is required in the anterior mesendoderm, but not in the mesoderm, for formation of the head. LHX1 enables the morphogenetic movement of cells that acco...

The Wnt (wingless) family of secreted glycoproteins initiates a signalling pathway implicated in the regulation of both normal mouse mammary gland development and tumorigenesis. Multiple Wnt signals ultimately converge on the multifunctional protein beta-catenin to activate the transcription of target genes. Although beta-catenin plays a crucial role in canonical Wnt signalling, it also functio...

The Hippo signalling pathway has emerged as a key regulator of organ size, tissue homeostasis, and patterning. Recent studies have shown that two effectors in this pathway, YAP/TAZ, modulate Wnt/b-catenin signalling through their interaction with b-catenin or Dishevelled, depending on biological contexts. Here, we identify a novel mechanism through which Hippo signalling inhibits Wnt/b-catenin ...

Growth factors play key roles in influencing cell fate and behaviour during development. The epithelial cells and fibre cells that arise from the lens vesicle during lens morphogenesis are bathed by aqueous and vitreous, respectively. Vitreous has been shown to generate a high level of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling that is required for secondary lens fibre differentiation. However, ...

Prostate cancer cells with stem cell characteristics were identified in human prostate cancer cell lines by their ability to form from single cells self-renewing prostaspheres in nonadherent cultures. Prostaspheres exhibited heterogeneous expression of proliferation, differentiation and stem cell associated makers CD44, ABCG2 and CD133. Treatment with WNT inhibitors reduced both prostasphere si...