Beta-catenin independent WNT signaling

Humans and mice have 19 identified WNT proteins that were originally classified as either 'canonical' or 'non-canonical' depending upon whether they were able to transform the mouse mammary epithelial cell line C57MG and to induce secondary axis formation in Xenopus. So-called canonical WNTs, including Wnt1, 3, 3a and 7, initiate signaling pathways that destabilize the destruction complex and allow beta-catenin to accumulate and translocate to the nucleus where it promotes transcription (reviewed in Saito-Diaz et al, 2013). Non-canonical WNTs, including Wnt 2, 4, 5a, 5b, 6, 7b, and Wnt11 activate beta-catenin-independent responses that regulate many aspects of morphogenesis and development, often by impinging on the cytoskeleton (reviewed in van Amerongen, 2012). Two of the main beta-catenin-independent pathways are the Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) pathway, which controls the establishment of polarity in the plane of a field of cells, and the WNT/Ca2+ pathway, which promotes the release of intracellular calcium and regulates numerous downstream effectors (reviewed in Gao, 2012; De, 2011).

Summary from Reactome (R-HSA-3858494), read 2026-09-23.