Protein Wnt-5a (WNT5A)

Protein Wnt-5a is a secreted glycoprotein that serves as a ligand for the non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways, including the Wnt/calcium and planar cell polarity (PCP) pathways (UniProt P41221). It is essential for embryonic development, where it regulates tissue morphogenesis, cell polarity, and directional cell migration (PubMed: 22824924). In adult tissues, Wnt-5a is involved in maintaining homeostasis and modulating inflammatory responses. Its role in oncology is highly context-specific; it functions as a tumor suppressor in cancers such as breast and colon cancer, but acts as a pro-metastatic oncogene in melanoma and gastric cancer (PubMed: 26911732). Therapeutic strategies involve using mimetics like Foxy-5 to activate its tumor-suppressive effects or using antagonists like Box-5 to inhibit its role in metastasis and inflammation (PubMed: 25116398).

Other names

Wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 5AWnt family member 5AhWNT5A

Wnt-5a mimetics (e.g., Foxy-5) act as agonists to restore non-canonical signaling that inhibits tumor cell migration in specific cancers (PubMed: 25116398). Antagonists (e.g., Box-5) block Wnt-5a-induced signaling to prevent metastasis and inflammatory cytokine production (PubMed: 20132408).