Unraveling Cancer's Wnt Signaling: Dynamic Control through Protein Kinase Regulation

Simple Summary: The Wnt signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in governing developmental processes and maintaining stem cell characteristics, while also exhibiting significant implications in cancer pathogenesis. While initially characterized in colorectal cancer, aberrations in Wnt signaling are pervasive across various cancer types. Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors modulate Wnt signaling, mainly influencing the strictly coordinated kinase cascade within Wnt signaling. Understanding the complex interplay of canonical and non-canonical Wnt pathways and their potential dysregulation in disorders holds promise for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies in cancer treatment. Since the initial identification of oncogenic Wnt in mice and Drosophila, the Wnt signaling pathway has been subjected to thorough and extensive investigation. Persistent activation of Wnt signaling exerts diverse cancer characteristics, encompassing tumor initiation, tumor growth, cell senescence, cell death, differentiation, and metastasis. Here we review the principal signaling mechanisms and the regulatory influence of pathway-intrinsic and extrinsic kinases on cancer progression. Additionally, we underscore the divergences and intricate interplays of the canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways and their critical influence in cancer pathophysiology, exhibiting both growth-promoting and growth-suppressing roles across diverse cancer types.