FZD5 (frizzled class receptor 5)

The Wnt signalling pathways are ways of signalling that transduce signals into cells through cell surface receptors; they are three different type of pathways and all of these are activated by binding a Wntprotein ligand to a Frizzled family receptor. Frizzled is a family of G-protein coupled receptor proteins that works as receptor in the Wnt signalling pathway; when activated, Frizzled works activating the Dishevelled protein inside the cell, to transduce the signal. Frizzled-5 (FZD5) is part of this family and it is encoded by the FZD5 gene (located on the chr2, 2q33.3). Like all Frizzled members, FZD5 has an amino-terminal cysteine-rich domain (CRD) which allows the Wnt binding, seven-transmembrane domains and a cytoplasmic tail containing the PDZ domain binding motif at the carboxy-terminus. FZD5 shows an important role in development and it seems to be overexpressed in several types of cancer. FZD5 preferably binds WNT3A, WNT5A, WNT7A and WNT10B, activating both canonical and non-canonical pathways.