WNT-1 Signaling in Mammary Carcinogenesis

摘要

WNT GENES ENCODE A LARGE FAMILY OF SECRETED SIGNALING MOLECULES ESSENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT AND ONCOGENESIS. WNT-1, THE FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE WNT GENE FAMILY, WAS INITIALLY IDENTIFIED AS AN ONCOGENE. Ectopic wnt-1 expression causes mammary tumorigenesis in mice, providing a potential model for human breast cancer. However, the cell surface receptor (or receptors) that mediates Wnt-1 signaling had not been identified, and the molecular and biochemical nature of the Wnt signaling pathway was not fully understood.