title: Role of wingless tail signaling pathway in osteoporosis:  an update of current knowledge.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Wingless tail (Wnt) pathway is crucial for osteoblast activation and action. This review summarizes the evidence published during the previous year on the emerging role of Wnt signaling alterations in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and potential therapeutic approaches of osteoporosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  New insights into the mechanisms regulating Wnt/β-catenin canonical pathway, including the role of Kremen-2 receptor, lamin A/C protein, periostin, and pleiotropin in bone physiology, the crosstalk between the RUNX-2 transcription-factor cascade and the Wnt pathway, and the concept that individual Wnt ligands may have a unique and distinct mission in bone milieu, are presented. Nutritional habits may affect Wnt signaling in bone. Serum sclerostin and dickkopf-1 levels may serve as markers of bone metabolism and disease, although further standardization methods are required. Finally, the effect of current antiosteoporotic treatments on Wnt signaling is discussed, as well as the therapeutic potential of drugs targeting either Wnt signaling amplification or Wnt antagonists' attenuation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although Wnt pathway is currently a field of thorough investigation, it is still far from been fully elucidated. Understanding its complex pathophysiology has evoked promising therapeutic approaches for osteoporosis. However, given that Wnt signaling is crucial for many tissues, emerging knowledge should be cautiously translated in therapeutics.
authors: Department of Endocrinology, 424 General Military Hospital, Second Medical Clinic, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Ippokration Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. anastath@endo.gr
authors: Athanasios D
authors: AD
authors: Anastasilakis
authors: Stergios A
authors: SA
authors: Polyzos
authors: Konstantinos A
authors: KA
authors: Toulis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism; D050659:Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D050659:Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin