Function of the Canonical Wnt/Wingless Signaling in Drosophila Development

• 1、School of Life Science & Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092

Abstract：Wnt signal is an important cell signaling transduction pathway, that is conserved from Drosophila melanogaster to human. Wnt signaling has diverse functions, it controls embryonic development and maintains tissue homeostasis, as well as control of cell growth, proliferation and cell decision. Aberrant Wnt activity often associated with many diseases, especially tumors. Current profound understanding of Wnt signaling depends a lot on the contribution of Drosophila, these including the identification of Wnt pathway components and their epistatic relationship. In this review, we have summarized the achievements of Drosophila Wnt signaling, like the discovery of wingless gene, the transduction mechanisms of canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway, the study of Wingless as a morphogen. Finally, we have put our emphasis on the role of Wingless signaling during Drosophila development, for example, the control of embryo segment polarity, organ morphogenesis, cell proliferation and the self-renewal of adult stem cells. These studies of Drosophila Wingless may provide great insights for understanding of its role in human diseases and stem cells biology.

Keywords： developmental genetics Wnt Wingless Drosophila development