Modulation of ß-catenin-independent Wnt-signaling by secreted frizzled related proteins (sFRPs)

Wnt信号级联由依赖或独立于β-连环蛋白的不同分支组成。Wnt信号调节胚胎发育过程中的各种过程，并与各种形式的癌症、耳聋和脊柱裂等人类疾病有关。在本项目中，我们计划研究卷曲受体4的一个新的剪接变体和分泌的卷曲相关蛋白（sFRPs）在调节Wnt信号传导中的作用。作为实验模型，我们将使用非洲爪蟾胚胎，它为分析β-catenin依赖性和独立Wnt信号提供了出色的检测系统。

The Wnt signaling cascade consists of different branches which are either dependent or independent of β-catenin. Wnt signaling regulates various processes during embryonic development and is implicated in human diseases such as various forms of cancer, deafness and spina bifida. In this project we plan to investigate the role of a novel splicing variant of Frizzled receptor 4 and the secreted Frizzled related proteins (sFRPs) in modulating Wnt signaling. As an experimental model we will use Xenopus laevis embryos which offer excellent assay systems for the analysis of both, β-catenin-dependent and independent Wnt signaling.