Investigating the impact of XtSulf1 on canonical and non-canonical Wnt signalling

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Cells in all animals are surrounded by a sticky matrix that holds them together and helps in relaying messages from one cell to another. We have found that when this matrix is modified messages can no longer be received by a cell or, on the other hand, sometimes messages are received more efficiently. We are working on a gene called XtSulf1 that makes an enzyme that re-structures the matrix on cells. We want to know whether this enzyme will change the ability of a cell to respond to a message called Wnt. We will investigate exactly what underlies the effects of XtSulf1 on Wnt. All the players involved in these processes are important and we want to determine what is happening at the level of the cell and the messages. The Wnt message is known to be important for embryos to develop properly, for stem cells to grow in culture and is also known to be mis-regulated in disease: therefore a good understanding of how this message can be controlled will be important in developing new medical therapies and for the advancement of regenerative medicine.