Roles of Axin in the Wnt signalling pathway.
The Wnt signalling pathway is conserved in various species from worms to mammals, and plays important roles in development, cellular proliferation, and differentiation. The molecular mechanisms by which the Wnt signal regulates cellular functions are becoming increasingly well understood. Wnt stabilizes cytoplasmic beta-catenin, which stimulates the expression of genes including c-myc, c-jun, fra-1, and cyclin D1. Axin, newly recognized as a component of the Wnt signalling pathway, negatively regulates this pathway. Other components of the Wnt signalling pathway, including Dvl, glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, beta-catenin, and adenomatous polyposis coli, interact with Axin, and the phosphorylation and stability of beta-catenin are regulated in the Axin complex. Thus, Axin acts as a scaffold protein in the Wnt signalling pathway, thereby regulating cellular functions.
Kikuchi
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Department of Biochemistry, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Japan. akikuchi@mcai.med.hiroshima-u.ac.jp
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D060466:Axin Protein; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000072261:Dishevelled Proteins; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3; D038341:Glycogen Synthase Kinases; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D060466:Axin Protein; D000072261:Dishevelled Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011506:Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D038341:Glycogen Synthase Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3