Frizzled class receptor 7 (FZD7) (FZD7)

Frizzled-7 (FZD7) is a member of the Frizzled family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that serves as a primary receptor for secreted Wnt ligands [1, 4, 11]. It plays a fundamental role in both canonical (beta-catenin dependent) and non-canonical (beta-catenin independent) Wnt signaling pathways, which are essential for embryonic development, stem cell maintenance, and tissue homeostasis [1, 8, 22, 23]. FZD7 is characterized by an extracellular cysteine-rich domain (CRD) that binds Wnt proteins and a seven-pass transmembrane domain typical of GPCRs [6, 8, 19]. In adult tissues, FZD7 expression is generally restricted, but it is frequently overexpressed in a wide range of malignancies, including colorectal, hepatocellular, and triple-negative breast cancers [8, 12, 17, 18]. This aberrant upregulation drives tumor progression, metastasis, and the maintenance of cancer stem cells, making it a high-priority therapeutic target [8, 16, 22]. Therapeutic strategies include monoclonal antibodies like Vantictumab, antibody-drug conjugates, and small molecule inhibitors designed to block Wnt signaling [11, 12, 18]. However, targeting FZD7 presents challenges, particularly regarding bone and gastrointestinal toxicities, as the Wnt pathway is critical for normal tissue regeneration and bone density [22, 25].

Other names

Frizzled-7Fz-7hFz7FzE3Frizzled class receptor 7Frizzled family receptor 7Frizzled homolog 7Seven transmembrane spanning receptor

Antagonism of the Frizzled-7 receptor to inhibit canonical Wnt/beta-catenin and non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways, thereby reducing tumor cell proliferation, stemness, and metastasis [1, 8, 11, 12, 16].