Open AccessCasein kinase Iɛ in the Wnt pathway: Regulation of β-catenin function
Author(s) -
Chie Sakanaka,
P. C. Leong,
Licen Xu,
S.C. Harrison,
Lewis T. Williams
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.96.22.12548
Subject(s) - wnt signaling pathway , casein kinase 1 , dishevelled , microbiology and biotechnology , xenopus , lrp6 , effector , biology , lrp5 , dkk1 , beta catenin , signal transduction , protein kinase a , kinase , chemistry , frizzled , gene , genetics
Wnt and its intracellular effector β-catenin regulate developmental and oncogenic processes. Using expression cloning to identify novel components of the Wnt pathway, we isolated casein kinase Iɛ (CKIɛ). CKIɛ mimicked Wnt in inducing a secondary axis inXenopus , stabilizing β-catenin, and stimulating gene transcription in cells. Inhibition of endogenous CKIɛ by kinase-defective CKIɛ or CKIɛ antisense-oligonucleotides attenuated Wnt signaling. CKIɛ was in a complex with axin and other downstream components of the Wnt pathway, including Dishevelled. CKIɛ appears to be a positive regulator of the pathway and a link between upstream signals and the complexes that regulate β-catenin.