WNT signal, through the canonical pathway, controls cell fate determination and through the non-canonical pathway controls cell movement and tissue polarity. The name "wnt" is a fusion of two terms, wg derived from the Drosophila gene wingless (wg) and int derived from the proto-oncogene integration-1, which is the mammalian homolog of wg. ß-catenin is the key regulated effector of Wnt, involved in canonical signaling . Free ß-catenin is bound by a multiprotein "destruction complex". The ß-catenin destruction complex is comprised of ß-catenin, scaffold proteins (APC, AXIN) and serine/threonine kinases that phosphorylate ß-catenin casein kinase 1 (CSNK1A1, CSNK1D, CSNK1E, CSNK1G1) and GSK3B. The sequential phosphorylation of ß-catenin by casein kinase 1 and GSK3 is recognised by an SCF-class E3-ubiquitin ligase, which targets it for polyubiquitination and proteosomal destruction. Canonical WNT signals are transduced through a two-part receptor, a seven-transmembrane Frizzled (FZD) and low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5/6 (LRP5/LRP6) to a ß-catenin (CTNNB1) signaling cascade. On recruitment of deshevelled (DVL1) to FZD and AXIN to LRP6, ß-catenin destruction complex disassembles leading to its stabilization and nuclear accumulation. Nuclear ß-catenin binds to T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor (TCF/LEF) family of transcription factors and Legless family docking protein, BCL9. These activate the transcription of Wnt target genes CCND1, MYC. Non-canonical WNT signaling diverges downstream after being transduced through FZD family receptors and co-receptors, ROR2 and RYK. This pathway does not involve ß-catenin-mediated gene expression. Small G proteins such as RAC1, RHOA and downstream effectors of RAC including JNK are DVL-dependant effector molecules of the non-canonical pathway. These have been implicated in cytoskeletal rearrangement, dendrite growth and control of cell polarity and orientation. Nemo-like kinase (NLK) and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) are Ca2+-dependant effectors of the non-canonical pathway. NLK inhibits canonical pathway by phosphorylation of TCF/LEF family transcription factors. NFAT transcription factor is implicated in convergent extension during early embryogenesis and carcinogenic metastasis.
Please access this pathway at [NetSlim](http://www.netpath.org/netslim/wnt_pathway.html) database.
If you use this pathway, please cite the following paper:
Kandasamy, K., Mohan, S. S., Raju, R., Keerthikumar, S., Kumar, G. S. S., Venugopal, A. K., Telikicherla, D., Navarro, J. D., Mathivanan, S., Pecquet, C., Gollapudi, S. K., Tattikota, S. G., Mohan, S., Padhukasahasram, H., Subbannayya, Y., Goel, R., Jacob, H. K. C., Zhong, J., Sekhar, R., Nanjappa, V., Balakrishnan, L., Subbaiah, R., Ramachandra, Y. L., Rahiman, B. A., Prasad, T. S. K., Lin, J., Houtman, J. C. D., Desiderio, S., Renauld, J., Constantinescu, S. N., Ohara, O., Hirano, T., Kubo, M., Singh, S., Khatri, P., Draghici, S., Bader, G. D., Sander, C., Leonard, W. J. and Pandey, A. (2010). NetPath: A public resource of curated signal transduction pathways. <i>Genome Biology</i>. 11:R3.