The fundamentals of WNT10A

Abstract

Human wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 10A (WNT10A) is a secreted glycoprotein that is involved in signaling pathways essential to ectodermal organogenesis and tissue regeneration. WNT10A was first linked to human disorders in 2006, demonstrating a WNT10a variant to be associated with cleft lip with/without cleft palate. Numerous publications have since then identified the importance of WNT10A in the development of ectodermal appendages and beyond. In this review, we provide information on the structure of the WNT10A gene and protein, summarize its expression patterns in different animal models and in human, and describe the identified roles in tissue and organ development and repair in the different animal model organisms. We then correlate such identified functions and working mechanisms to the pathophysiology of a spectrum of human diseases and disorders that result from germline loss-of-function mutations in WNT10A, including ectodermal dysplasia (ED) syndromes Odonto-oncho-dermal dysplasia (OODD), Schöpf–Schulz–Passarge syndrome (SSPS), and selective tooth agenesis, as well as pathological conditions like fibrosis and carcinogenesis that can be correlated with increased WNT10A activity (Section 5).