| Modification Notes |
The Wnt genes are a group of well conserved, cysteine-rich secreted glycoproteins that are required for numerous developmental processes including embryogenesis, asymmetric cell division and central nervous system (CNS) patterning. The association of the Wnt protein with the seven membrane spanning receptor frizzled activates dishevelled, which downregulates glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) through serine phosphorylation. Reduced levels of active GSK causes the accumulation of b-catenin and subsequent regulation of developmentally significant Wnt target genes. Wnt antagonists, Dickkopf (which includes Dkk1-4), frizzled-related protein (sFRP), Soggy-1, Kremen-1 and Wnt inhibitory factor-1 (WIF-1) are necessary to ensure normal spatial and temporal patterns of Wnt activity during developmental processes. |