title: Wnt signaling meets internal dissent.
abstract: In canonical Wnt signaling, β-catenin translocates to the cell nucleus, interacting with Tcf/Lef factors to activate transcription of Wnt target genes. In this issue of Genes & Development, Vacik and colleagues (pp. 1783-1795) report that a highly conserved sequence in intron 5 of Tcf7l2 conceals an internal promoter region that, when activated by Vax2, drives transcription of truncated Tcf7l2 mRNAs. The encoded Tcf7l2 protein binds to DNA, but not β-catenin, and therefore acts as a dominant-negative Wnt antagonist.
authors: Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA. egrove@bsd.uchicago.edu
authors: Elizabeth A
authors: EA
authors: Grove
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: D051153:Wnt Proteins