The WNT3 gene
is part of a large family of WNT genes, which play critical roles in
development before birth. WNT genes provide instructions for making proteins
that participate in chemical signaling pathways in the body. These pathways
control the activity of certain genes and regulate the interactions between
cells during embryonic development.
Research in animals
indicates that the protein produced from the WNT3 gene is
critical for the outgrowth of the limbs in the developing embryo. The WNT3
protein also appears to play an important role in determining the
anterior-posterior axis (the imaginary line that runs from head to tail in
animals) during the earliest stages of embryonic development. Additionally, the
effects of mutations in the human WNT3 gene suggest that the
protein may be involved in the normal formation of the facial features, head,
heart, lungs, nervous system, skeleton, and genitalia.
Source:
www.ghr.nlm.nih.gov
No comments:
Post a Comment