Identification of the Receptor of the WNT-1 Signaling Molecule
Abstract
The Wnt gene family encodes secreted signaling molecules that play important roles in mammary tumorigenesis and embryonic development Wnt-1, the founding member, was identified as an oncogene that upon ectopic expression resulted in mice mammary tumors. Delineation of the mechanisms of Wnt-1 signaling can provide insights into the molecular nature of mammary tumor formation. Recent studies suggest that the frizzled family of proteins may encode the receptors for the Wnt proteins and it is likely that a frizzled protein may encode for the receptor for Wnt- 1. This hypothesis was tested using the Xenopus axis duplication system using a co-injection strategy with pools fz(frizzled) molecules and a Wntl-CD8 molecule. The ability of fz molecules in one of the pools to mediate the secondary axis formation of Wntl-CD8 has lead to the identification of two fz proteins which may potentially serve as the Wnt-1 receptor. Further experiments are in progress to verify these findings and experiments to identify molecules that interact with the cytoplasmic portion of the fz receptor are being attempted. The elucidation of the receptor and downstream effectors for the Wnt-1 signaling molecule can provide valuable insights into how this ligand functions in mammary tumor formation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA381284
Entities
People
- Raymond Habas
- Xi He