Regulation of Wnt Signaling by Heterotrimeric G-Proteins

Wnt signal transduction pathways play crucial roles in animal development, and after birth, they are involved in maintaining cellular and tissue homeostasis. Deregulation of the Wnt-mediated pathways occurs in many human diseases, including a wide range of human cancers. Many years ago, due to the topological similarity between Frizzled receptors and G-protein-coupled receptors, it was proposed that heterotrimeric G-proteins might be involved in the regulation of Wnt/Frizzled-mediated signaling pathways. Currently, there is a wealth of evidence indicating that heterotrimeric G-proteins regulate both canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways. This review article will discuss some of this evidence and the significance of this interaction.