A new canon

摘要

Muscle development in vertebrates relies on signals transmitted from proteins of the Wnt family. But which molecules form the relay that transfers this signal to the cell nucleus? The answer is unexpected. The discovery of interconnections between signalling pathways that were once thought to be distinct is becoming a familiar theme in biology. Even so, aficionados may be surprised at the link, described by Chen et al. on page 317 of this issue, between some of the most familiar proteins involved indevelopment, and one of the best-characterized responses to hormones and other extracellular signals.