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Dual roles for Wnt signalling during the formation of the vertebrate neuromuscular junction
Author(s) -
Henríquez J. P.,
Salinas P. C.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
acta physiologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.591
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1748-1716
pISSN - 1748-1708
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2011.02295.x
Subject(s) - agrin , wnt signaling pathway , neuromuscular junction , synapse , biology , neuroscience , microbiology and biotechnology , vertebrate , signal transduction , acetylcholine receptor , receptor , genetics , gene
Wnt proteins play prominent roles in different aspects of neuronal development culminating with the formation of complex neuronal circuits. Here, we discuss new studies addressing the function of Wnt signalling at the peripheral neuromuscular junction (NMJ). In both, invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, Wnt signalling promotes and also inhibits the assembly of the neuromuscular synapse. Here, we focus our attention on recent studies at the vertebrate NMJ that demonstrate that some Wnt proteins collaborate with the Agrin‐MuSK signalling to induce post‐synaptic differentiation. In contrast, Wnts that activate the Wnt/β‐catenin signalling inhibit post‐synaptic differentiation. The dual function of different Wnts might finely modulate the proper apposition of the pre‐ and post‐synaptic terminals during NMJ formation and growth.