Grainger Stephanie, Willert Karl
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Syst Biol Med. 2018 Sep;10(5):e1422. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1422. Epub 2018 Mar 30.
The Wnt signaling pathway is a highly conserved system that regulates complex biological processes across all metazoan species. At the cellular level, secreted Wnt proteins serve to break symmetry and provide cells with positional information that is critical to the patterning of the entire body plan. At the organismal level, Wnt signals are employed to orchestrate fundamental developmental processes, including the specification of the anterior-posterior body axis, induction of the primitive streak and ensuing gastrulation movements, and the generation of cell and tissue diversity. Wnt functions extend into adulthood where they regulate stem cell behavior, tissue homeostasis, and damage repair. Disruption of Wnt signaling activity during embryonic development or in adults results in a spectrum of abnormalities and diseases, including cancer. The molecular mechanisms that underlie the myriad of Wnt-regulated biological effects have been the subject of intense research for over three decades. This review is intended to summarize our current understanding of how Wnt signals are generated and interpreted. This article is categorized under: Biological Mechanisms > Cell Signaling Developmental Biology > Stem Cell Biology and Regeneration.
Wnt信号通路是一个高度保守的系统，可调节所有后生动物物种的复杂生物学过程。在细胞水平上，分泌的Wnt蛋白用于打破对称性，并为细胞提供对整个身体蓝图模式至关重要的位置信息。在机体水平上，Wnt信号被用于协调基本的发育过程，包括前后体轴的特化、原条的诱导和随后的原肠胚形成运动，以及细胞和组织多样性的产生。Wnt功能延伸至成年期，在那里它们调节干细胞行为、组织稳态和损伤修复。胚胎发育期间或成年期Wnt信号活性的破坏会导致一系列异常和疾病，包括癌症。三十多年来，Wnt调节的众多生物学效应背后的分子机制一直是深入研究的主题。本综述旨在总结我们目前对Wnt信号如何产生和解读的理解。本文分类如下：生物学机制>细胞信号；发育生物学>干细胞生物学与再生。
