Title:Canonical Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling Network as Emerging Signaling Cascade for Therapeutic Intervention in Chronic Renal Disease
Volume: 22
Issue: 16
Author(s): Hitesh Soni*
Affiliation:
- Department of Physiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163,United States
Keywords:
Renal disease, Wnt/beta-catenin, signaling, therapeutic target, Wnt protein secretion, porcupine enzyme.
Abstract: The socio-economic burden of renal disease is enormous due to the unavailability of effective
treatment to cure it. High risk patients have only two costly options in chronic renal disease,
dialysis and renal replacement therapy (RRT). RRT has limitations of the organ donor, and ethical
concerns are also associated with it. The Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is highly conserved and active
during embryogenesis in early life but suppressed in adults. Animal studies suggested that knockdown
of Wnt protein led to abnormal kidney development at birth. In the adult kidney, Wnt/beta--
catenin pathway activation led to tissue repair after acute injury, but sustained activation is harmful
and involved in renal fibrosis. Recently, Wnt/beta-catenin signaling cascade has emerged as a potential
pathway involved in adult renal diseases and is considered an attractive therapeutic target
for developing effective therapeutic intervention. Precise information about the involvement of specific
types of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway components in adult renal disease using cutting-edge
molecular techniques will help develop novel therapies for renal diseases. Future studies will determine
Wnt/beta-catenin signaling proteins' effectiveness and safety as a treatment option for renal disorders.
