| The Wnt genes belong to a family of protooncogenes with at least 13 known members that are expressed in species ranging from Drosophila to man. The name Wnt denotes the relationship of this family to the Drosophila segment polarity gene ”wingless” and to its vertebrate ortholog, Int-1, a mouse proto-oncogene. Transcription of Wnt family genes appears to be developmentally regulated in a precise temporal and spatial manner. The Wnt genes encode cysteine-rich putative glycoproteins which have features typical of secreted growth factors. Wnt-11 is expressed in the tips of ureteric buds and in the perichondrium, a stem cell-like layer that surrounds the future bones and directs their growth and regeneration. Wnt-11 activity is required for cells to undergo correct convergent extension movements during gastrulation. Human Wnt-11 is also expressed in the lung mesenchyme, the urorectal septum, the urogenital folds, the labioscrotal swellings, and the cortex of the adrenal gland. Unlike other Wnt family members, Wnt-11 is not expressed in the neuroepithelium of the central nervous system. Wnt-11, along with Wnt-8c, is ex-pressed in the posterior region of the chick embryo in the caudal paraxial mesoderm that underlies the prospective caudal neural plate. The gene which encodes Wnt-11 maps to human chromosome 11q13.5. |
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