Wnt Inducible Signaling Pathway Protein 1 (WISP1)

Wnt Inducible Signaling Pathway Protein 1 (WISP1), also known as CCN4, is a member of the CCN family of matricellular proteins. Its expression is induced by the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. WISP1 regulates various cellular processes including cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, survival, and motility. It plays a role in bone development, fibrosis (pulmonary and kidney), inflammation, and cancer by interacting with integrins and modulating downstream signaling pathways such as FAK, RAS-MAPK, NF-kB, TGF-beta, and PI3K-Akt. In kidney inflammation, WISP1 induces macrophage accrual/inflammatory cytokine production via NF-kB, and its blockade attenuates kidney inflammation/fibrosis.

Other names

CCN4

WISP1 binds to multiple cell-surface integrins through its conserved domains (IGFBP-like, vWC, TSR, CT) to regulate intracellular signals including FAK, RAS-MAPK, NF-kB, TGF-beta, and PI3K-Akt pathways. It acts via multiligand interactions typical for matricellular proteins.