The ins and outs of Wingless signaling.

Program in Developmental Biology, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Division of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Signaling through the highly conserved Wingless/Wnt pathway plays a crucial role in a diverse array of developmental processes, many of which depend upon the precise regulation of Wingless/Wnt signaling levels. Recent evidence has indicated that the intracellular trafficking of Wingless/Wnt signaling components can result in significant changes in the level of signaling. Here, we examine three mechanisms through which intracellular trafficking might regulate Wingless signaling--the degradation of Wingless, its transport and the transduction of its signal. The intracellular trafficking of several Wingless/Wnt signaling components, including LRP5, LRP6, Dishevelled and Axin, as well as the functional implications of protein localization on Wingless/Wnt signaling, will be discussed.

PMID: 14729180 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]