image: Wnt signaling in osteoblasts. (A) When Wnt binds its receptor, Frizzled, and coreceptors LRP5 and LRP6, its signaling pathway is activated, leading to gene expression (and ultimately protein synthesis and the formation of bone). (B) Wnt antagonists sclerostin and Dkk-1 bind LRP5 and LRP6, preventing their interaction with Frizzled and resulting in inhibition of gene expression. (C) Inhibition of Wnt antagonism promotes gene expression. This may occur as a result of a loss-of-function mutation in a gene that encodes for a Wnt antagonist, or by pharmacological engagement of the antagonist with an inhibitory molecule such as an antibody.This image relates to an article that appeared in the July 28, 2010, issue of Science Translational Medicine, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. T.A. Einhorn at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center in Boston, Mass., is titled, "The Wnt Signaling Pathway as a Potential Target for Therapies to Enhance Bone Repair." view more
Credit: Image C. Bickel/Science Translational Medicine © 2010 AAAS