Hu Yu-an, Zhao Chun-jie
Department of Central Laboratory Medicine, PLA, Institute of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing General Hospital of PLA Nanjing Command, Nanjing, China.
Zhejiang Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban. 2010 Jan;39(1):93-6. doi: 10.3785/j.issn.1008-9292.2010.01.016.
Wnt inhibitor factor-1 (WIF-1) is an extracellular antagonist of Wnts secreted proteins, first characterized as an expressed sequence tag in the human retina. WIF-1 belongs to the secreted Frizzled-related protein (sFRP) class, which can directly bind to Wnt proteins, prevent Wnts from binding to their receptors in vertebrates. Wif1 is expressed in the nervous system of mouse, Xenopus, zebrafish and human. It has been shown that WIF-1 affects the formation of somites in Xenopus embryos and inhibits rod production in retinal histogenesis by binding to Wnt4 in mice. Histological information of Wif1 expression during the development of the central nervous system has been reported in mouse, Xenopus and zebrafish and the strong embryonic expression suggests Wif1 may play an essential role in the spatial and temporal regulation of Wnt signals in development of central nervous system. The Wnt pathway plays a key role in the patterning of the nervous system. However, insights into the function of Wif1 in the development of the central nervous system are rather limited. Selecting suitable stage and target according to the expression pattern may contribute to understanding the function of Wif1.
Wnt抑制因子-1（WIF-1）是Wnts分泌蛋白的一种细胞外拮抗剂，最初被鉴定为人类视网膜中的一个表达序列标签。WIF-1属于分泌型卷曲相关蛋白（sFRP）家族，它能够直接结合Wnt蛋白，阻止Wnts在脊椎动物中与其受体结合。Wif1在小鼠、非洲爪蟾、斑马鱼和人类的神经系统中均有表达。研究表明，WIF-1影响非洲爪蟾胚胎中体节的形成，并通过与小鼠体内的Wnt4结合来抑制视网膜组织发生过程中的视杆细胞生成。在小鼠、非洲爪蟾和斑马鱼中，已经报道了Wif1在中枢神经系统发育过程中的表达组织学信息，其强烈的胚胎期表达表明Wif1可能在中枢神经系统发育过程中Wnt信号的时空调节中发挥重要作用。Wnt信号通路在神经系统的模式形成中起关键作用。然而，关于Wif1在中枢神经系统发育中的功能的见解相当有限。根据表达模式选择合适的阶段和靶点可能有助于理解Wif1的功能。
