Can Wnt5a and Wnt non-canonical pathways really mediate adipocyte de-differentiation in a tumour microenvironment?

Wnt5a has been recently reported as a possible triggering factor of adipocyte dedifferentiation into an adipocyte-derived fibroblast in the tumour microenvironment of pancreas cancer. The Wnt/beta-catenin pathway was described in processes involving dedifferentiation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition but some Wnt family-belonging molecules exert an adipogenic role on adipocyte, while other ones, such as Wnt10b or Wnt3a, an anti-adipogenic role. Although this ability depends on the different tumoural microenvironments, it is intriguing to ascertain if some Wnt molecules, participating in the non-canonical pathway, may be targeted as fundamental factors able to trigger the desmoplastic reaction of peritumoural white adipose tissue. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.