Wnt Ligand (Wnt)

Wnt ligands are a family of secreted glycoproteins that play a central role in cell signaling. They bind to Frizzled receptors and co-receptors to activate the Wnt signaling pathways, regulating processes such as cell survival, proliferation, fate determination, and tissue homeostasis. Dysregulation of Wnt signaling is implicated in developmental disorders and cancer.

Other names

Wingless-related integration siteWNT

Wnt ligands initiate Wnt signaling pathways by binding to Frizzled (Fz) family receptors on the cell surface, often requiring co-receptors such as LRP5/6. This triggers downstream events including Dishevelled protein activation, inhibition of the β-catenin destruction complex, stabilization and nuclear translocation of β-catenin, and activation or repression of target gene transcription.