Wnt Signaling Pathway

WNT signals play a crucial role in the early development of animal embryos, organogenesis, tissue regeneration and other physiological processes. If the signal is activated abnormally due to a key protein mutation, it may induce cancer. The WNT/β-catenin pathway is a classical approach of the WNT signaling pathway. The hallmark of this pathway is the accumulation of β-catenin and its transfer to the nucleus. The WNT protein binds to Frizzled, LRP5/6 on the cell surface to form a trimer, transfers the signal and activates the cytosolic DSH or DVL. After signal transduction, the stability of the degradation complex composed of β-catenin and AXIN, GSK-3β, APC can be attenuated, and the phosphorylated degradation of β-catenin can be prevented, thus the concentration of β-catenin in the cytoplasm increases. Β-catenin then enters into the nucleus and interacts with the T cell transcription factor/lymphoid enhancement factor LEF/TCF, activates the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway, and ultimately activates the expression of downstream target genes.