Biochemistry & Analytical Biochemistry

Abstract

Biochemical and Molecular Signaling of the Canonical Wnt Pathway

Isabelle Leticia Zaboroski Silva, Giovanna Zuzarte Candido, Letícia Koczicki, Nathalia Cavalheiro Auwerter, Laysa Toschi Martins and Henrique Ravanhol Frigeri

 The canonical Wnt pathway plays an important role in numerous

cell processes, such as embryogenesis, cell proliferation, self-renewal of stem cells, myogenesis, and adipogenesis. This pathway is mediated by specific factors called Wnt proteins, which act as chemical mediators controlling the development of different types of cells. Wnt proteins are structurally different from other proteins, in that they have a fatty acid chain bound covalently at their N-terminal region. The Wnt pathway is regulated by another protein, beta-catenin (β-cat). It is known that β-cat activates the transcription of more than 60 different genes