Biochemical studies of Wnt signaling have been hampered by difficulties in obtaining large quantities of soluble, biologically active Wnt proteins. In this paper, we report the production in Drosophila S2 cells of biologically active Xenopus Wnt8 (XWnt8). Epitope- or alkaline phosphatase-tagged XWnt8 proteins are secreted by concentrated S2 cells in a form that is suitable for quantitative bioc...

We report the isolation of a cDNA, FrzA (frizzled in aorta; GenBank accession No. U85945), from bovine aortic endothelium. It is the bovine counterpart of the mouse sFRP1, which encodes for a secreted protein that is homologous to the cysteine-rich domain of frizzled. Members of the frizzled family of genes have been shown to be required for tissue polarity and to act as receptors for Wnt. The ...

Stem cell therapy has emerged as a promising tool for the treatment of a variety of diseases. Previously, we have shown that Akt-modified mesenchymal stem cells mediate tissue repair through paracrine mechanisms. Using a comprehensive functional genomic strategy, we show that secreted frizzled related protein 2 (Sfrp2) is the key stem cell paracrine factor that mediates myocardial survival and ...

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether secreted frizzled-related protein 4 (sFRP4), 5 (sFRP5), and chemerin serum concentrations in early pregnancy are associated with the development gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) an obese cohort. In previous studies, increased sFRP4 chemerin, decreased sFRP5 were GDM normal overweight women. Methods: exploratory case control study, sFR...

WNT factors represent key mediators of many processes in animal development and homeostasis and act through a receptor complex comprised of members of the Frizzled and low density lipoprotein-related receptors (LRP). In mammals, 19 genes encoding Wingless and Int-related factor (WNTs), 10 encoding Frizzled, and 2 encoding LRP proteins have been identified, but little is known of the identities ...

The telencephalon is one of the most complex parts of the brain, and its patterning is still poorly understood. In this issue of Neuron, describe a novel Wnt antagonist Tlc, a member of the secreted Frizzled-related protein (sFrp) family. Secreted from the anterior boundary of the zebrafish neural plate, Tlc appears to protect the telencephalon from obliteration by a more caudal neural Wnt signal.