A model for signaling specificity of Wnt/Frizzled combinations through co-receptor recruitment

Wnts control mammalian developmental morphogenesis and are critical for adult stem cell maintenance. Wnts initiate several intracellular signaling cascades, such as Wnt/beta-catenin-, Wnt/Ca(2+)-and Wnt/ROR2-signaling. Signaling preference of Wnts for these various pathways is thought to depend on the repertoire of receptors present on recipient cells. Here, we propose a further refinement of this receptor model and hypothesize that Wnt signaling specificity depends on co-receptor recruitment upon binding of Wnt to Frizzled receptor molecules. In this model, recruitment of LRP5/6 leads to activation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, whereas signaling through other pathways is mediated by recruiting ROR2. (C) 2010 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.