The Wnt signalling
pathways are a group of signal
transduction pathways which begin with proteins that pass signals into a cell through cell
surface receptors. Wnt signalling pathways use either nearby
cell-cell communication (paracrine) or same-cell communication (autocrine). They are highly evolutionarily conserved in animals, which means they are similar across animal
species from fruit flies to humans.
Wnt signalling was first identified for its role in carcinogenesis, then for its function in embryonic
development. The embryonic processes it controls include body axis patterning, cell
fate specification, cell
proliferation and cell migration. These processes are necessary for proper formation of
important tissues including bone, heart and muscle. Wnt signalling also
controls tissue
regeneration in adult bone marrow, skin and intestine27.