Wnt Signaling in Vertebrate Neural Development and Function

Abstract

Members of the Wnt family of secreted signaling proteins influence many aspects of neural development and function. Wnts are required from neural induction and axis formation to axon guidance and synapse development, and even help modulate synapse activity. Wnt proteins activate a variety of downstream signaling pathways and can induce a similar variety of cellular responses, including gene transcription changes and cytoskeletal rearrangements. This review provides an introduction to Wnt signaling pathways and discusses current research on their roles in vertebrate neural development and function.

Curcumin increased the differentiation rate of neurons in neural stem cells via wnt signaling in vitro study

“…In our study, we find a higher differentiation proportion of NSCs into neurons after using curcumin, but we still need to further study the other roles of curcumin. Studies have indicated that there are many questions about the mechanisms of the downstream wnt signaling pathway [22], so in our future experiment, we will focus on studying the downstream wnt signaling pathway and also observe the changes in the downstream wnt signaling pathways after using curcumin. From the perspective of the experiment, this study provides experimental evidence for the rational and efficient use of curcumin as an adjunct treatment strategy with cell replacement therapy for treating spinal cord injuries.…”

microRNA regulation of Wnt signaling pathways in development and disease

“…Furthermore, canonical Wnt signaling has been shown to be critical in important embryological events, including axis specification [18] and gastrulation [19], as well as in organogenesis, including development of the breast [20], limb [21], heart [22], central nervous system [23], and bone [24]. …”

“…The non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways regulate convergence and extension of the body axis during embryogenesis in Xenopus [49,50], zebrafish [51], and mice [52,53]. In addition, the non-canonical Wnt pathways regulate cell motility which is critical for many cell type establishment and organ development, such as kidney ureteric branching [54], neural crest cell migration [55], neural axon guidance [56,57], neuroectoderm formation [23,58], female gonadal development [59], skeletogenesis [60], and osteogenesis [61]. …”

Calcium signaling in axon guidance

“…Wnt5a is a member of the Wnt family of morphogens which are involved in a wide range of developmental processes [81]. In addition to its roles during embryogenesis, Wnt5a has recently been implicated in repulsive guidance of post-crossing axons in the corpus callosum in a calcium-dependent manner [49].…”