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Wnt domain found in protein Wnt-5a, Wnt-5b and similar proteins The family includes Wnt-5a and Wnt-5b, both of which are secreted growth factors that belong to the noncanonical members of the Wingless-related MMTV-integration family. Wnt-5a can activate or inhibit canonical Wnt signaling, depending on receptor context. It specifically regulates dendritic spine formation in rodent hippocampal neurons, resulting in postsynaptic development that promotes the clustering of the postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95). The overexpression of Wnt-5b is associated with cancer aggressiveness. Wnt genes have been identified in vertebrates and invertebrates, but not in plants, unicellular eukaryotes, or prokaryotes. In humans, 19 WNT proteins are known. Because of their insolubility little is known about Wnt protein structure, but all have 23 or 24 Cys residues whose spacing is highly conserved. Signal transduction by Wnt proteins (including the Wnt/beta-catenin, the Wnt/Ca++, and the Wnt/polarity pathway) is mediated by receptors of the Frizzled and LDL-receptor-related protein (LRP) families. The Wnt signaling mediated by Wnt proteins that orchestrate and influence a myriad of cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, tumorigenesis, apoptosis, and participation in immune defense during microbe infection. |
Jiyao W et al.(2023). "The conserved domain database in 2023.",