Science Signaling Podcast: 3 July 2012

K. Christopher Garcia¹ and Annalisa M. VanHook²

¹ Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
² Web Editor, Science Signaling, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA.

Abstract: This Podcast features an interview with Christopher Garcia, senior author of a Research Article published on 31 May 2012 in Science Express. Wnt signaling plays an important role in many developmental and homeostatic processes as well as in several types of cancer. Despite intensive study for many years, the structure of Wnts and information about how Wnts bind to their receptors, the Frizzled (Fz) proteins, have remained elusive. Garcia’s group has solved the crystal structure of a Wnt-Fz complex. The Wnt ligand formed a pincer-like two-domain structure that contacts opposite sides of Fz. Wnt ligands are lipidated, and the crystal structure also revealed that the lipid moiety covalently attached to Wnt participates in binding to Fz and could play an important role in ligand-receptor docking.

The editors suggest the following Related Resources on Science sites:

In Science Signaling

EDITORS' CHOICE
Structural Biology
Dissecting Wnt/Fz Interaction

Valda K. Vinson (10 July 2012)
Sci. Signal. 5 (232), ec187. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2003373]
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PERSPECTIVES
Structural Biology
The Structural Basis of DKK-Mediated Inhibition of Wnt/LRP Signaling

Ju Bao, Jie J. Zheng, and Dianqing Wu (15 May 2012)
Sci. Signal. 5 (224), pe22. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2003028]
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EDITORIAL GUIDES
Wnt Signaling
Focus Issue: Wnt and β-Catenin Signaling in Development and Disease

Nancy R. Gough (10 January 2012)
Sci. Signal. 5 (206), eg2. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2002806]
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REVIEWS
Cell Biology
Alternative Wnt Signaling Is Initiated by Distinct Receptors

Renée van Amerongen, Amanda Mikels, and Roel Nusse (2 September 2008)
Sci. Signal. 1 (35), re9. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.135re9]
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In Science Magazine

RESEARCH ARTICLES
Structural Basis of Wnt Recognition by Frizzled

Claudia Y. Janda, Deepa Waghray, Aron M. Levin, Christoph Thomas, and K. Christopher Garcia (6 July 2012)
Science 337 (6090), 59. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1222879]
 |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »  |  Supplementary Materials »

PERSPECTIVES
A Lipid Linchpin for Wnt-Fz Docking

Mariann Bienz and Xi He (6 July 2012)
Science 337 (6090), 44. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1224468]
 |  Summary »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »