Wnt Signaling in Normal and Malignant Hematopoiesis

Wnt Signaling in Normal and Malignant Hematopoiesis
Lento W, Congdon K, Voermans C, Kritzik M, and Reya T. 2013
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology 5(2). pii: a008011. PubMed | PDF | 

ABSTRACT

One of the most remarkable characteristics of stem cells is their ability to perpetuate themselves through self-renewal while concomitantly generating differentiated cells. In the hematopoietic system, stem cells balance these mechanisms to maintain steady-state hematopoiesis for the lifetime of the organism, and to effectively regenerate the system following injury. Defects in the proper control of self-renewal and differentiation can be potentially devastating and contribute to the development of malignancies. In this review, we trace the emerging role of Wnt signaling as a critical regulator of distinct aspects of self-renewal and differentiation, its contribution to the maintenance of homeostasis and regeneration, and how the pathway can be hijacked to promote leukemia development. A better understanding of these processes could pave the way to enhancing recovery after injury and to developing better therapeutic approaches for hematologic malignancies.