Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling: Function, Biological Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Opportunities
January 2022
in “Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy”
TLDR The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is important for body functions and diseases, and targeting it may treat conditions like cancer, but with safety challenges.
The Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway plays a crucial role in embryonic development, adult tissue homeostasis, and various diseases. It is involved in cell proliferation, survival, differentiation, and migration. The pathway is regulated by factors like microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and molecules such as Twa1, FOXKs, ICAT, and Kdm2a/b. It is implicated in lung diseases, heart diseases, liver diseases, bone diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and hair diseases. For instance, an imbalance in this pathway can lead to hair disease, and deletion of the LGR4 gene inhibits the activation of this pathway in hair follicles, leading to a reduction in hair growth. The pathway is also involved in various types of cancer, often due to mutations in its components. The document suggests that targeting this pathway could be a potential treatment for various diseases, including autoimmune hepatitis and cancer. However, the development of pharmacological agents targeting this pathway faces challenges regarding safety and selectivity.
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