Short germ embryos elongate their primary body axis by consecutively adding segments from a posteriorly located growth zone. Wnt signalling is required for axis elongation in short germ arthropods, including Tribolium castaneum, but the precise functions of the different Wnt receptors involved in this process are unclear. We analysed the individual and combinatorial functions of the three Wnt r...

Wnt genes encode a large family of secreted, cysteine-rich proteins that play key roles as intercellular signaling molecules in development. Genetic studies in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans, ectopic gene expression in Xenopus, and gene knockouts in the mouse have demonstrated the involvement of Wnts in processes as diverse as segmentation, CNS patterning, and control of asymmetric cell ...

Wnt7b is a Wnt ligand that has been demonstrated to play critical roles in several developmental processes, including lung airway and vascular development and chorion-allantois fusion during placental development. Wnt signaling involves the binding of Wnt ligands to cell surface receptors of the frizzled family and coreceptors of the LRP5/6 family. However, little is known of the ligand-recepto...

The Wnt gene family encodes a set of highly conserved secreted signaling proteins that have major roles in embryogenesis and tissue homeostasis. Yet the expression of this family of important mediators in psoriasis, a disease characterized by marked changes in keratinocyte growth and differentiation, is incompletely understood. We subjected 58 paired biopsies from lesional and uninvolved psoria...

BACKGROUND Wnts are secreted proteins implicated in cell-cell interactions during embryogenesis and tumorigenesis, but receptors involved in transducing Wnt signals have not yet been definitively identified. Members of a large family of putative transmembrane receptors homologous to the frizzled protein in Drosophila have been identified recently in both vertebrates and invertebrates, raising t...

The ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling enzyme brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1) regulates transcription of specific target genes during embryonic and postnatal development. Deletion of Brg1 from embryonic blood vessels results in yolk sac vascular remodeling defects. We now report that misregulation of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway underlies many Brg1 mutant vascular phenotypes. Brg1 deletion ...

WNT signals are transduced to the canonical pathway for cell fate determination, and to the noncanonical pathway for control of cell movement and tissue polarity. Canonical WNT signals are transduced through Frizzled family receptors and LRP5/LRP6 coreceptor to the beta-catenin signaling cascade. Microtubule affinity-regulating kinase (PAR-1) family kinases, casein kinase I epsilon (CKI epsilon...

Wnt signaling is crucial for embryonic development in all animal species studied to date. The interaction between Wnt proteins and cell surface receptors can result in a variety of intracellular responses. A key remaining question is how these specific responses take shape in the context of a complex, multicellular organism. Recent studies suggest that we have to revise some of our most basic i...

Wnts are evolutionarily conserved secreted glycoproteins that contribute to the patterning and development of many tissues in C. elegans, Drosophila and mammals. In the nervous system, Wnt signaling contributes to postmitotic cell fate, axon pathfinding, synaptogenesis and synaptic function. However, as we discuss here, the role of Wnt signaling is not limited to the development of the nervous ...

BACKGROUND Regular use of β2-agonists may enhance non-specific airway responsiveness. The wingless/integrated (Wnt) signaling pathways are responsible for several cellular processes, including airway inflammation and remodeling while cAMP-PKA cascade can activate the Wnt signaling. We aimed to investigate whether the Wnt signaling pathways are involved in the bronchial hyperresponsiveness induc...