Showing posts with label cell adhesion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cell adhesion. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

THE Wnt PATHWAY

THE Wnt PATHWAY
It is one of the most complex and versatile pathways.  It is a powerful pathway because Mutations here have direct impact on cell totipotentiality, metastasis and cell differentiation and survival. It involves the most genes .
1.The Wnt interacts with E-Cadherin and therefore intervenes in the Cell Adhesion and Metastatic spread of cancers.
2. The Wnt influences Calcium concentration in the cell.
Remenber Calcium have influence on Calmodulin function and in Alzheimer dementia, microtubule entanglement is worsened by influx of Calcium
3.  Interaction with the Frizzled assure membrane polarity
?control of the flippase or calcium channels?
4. It has nuclear effect through activation of beta-Catenin (through activation OCT4) which is normally degraded by Ubiquitination, therefore opening the door to Velcade
5. Totipotentiality of cells comes back through the Wnt (through Nanog derepression by removing TCF3 influence)
6. Activate the MTOR to ensure cell survival (through GSK)
8. It controls Mesodermal differentiation (through FLK1)
9. It attenuates the Sonic HedgeHog (through GSK)
10. It has full control of the Neurologic sytem of the cell, and through is wingless system, determines where the function will be displayed
11. It is a stimulator of the c-JUN through RAC-1
12. It confers the status of Neuroendocrine differentiation, control where nerves go or do not go!
It is why Cisplatin has a role in in Neuroendocrine differentiated tumor
13. It is the master of Embryonal Gastrulation
Watch out: attacking Wnt can activate the cancer because of its c-JUN connection which leads to Tumor Growth factor!
14. Viral penetration involves the Wnt
15. It controls cell morphology, migration, endocytosis and cell cycle progression (through Cdc42)

I have to stop to spare you!  Look, I have not started to talk about how it leads to Metastasis...I just have to stop.  The Wnt, a powerful pathway!