Wnt/Frizzled Signaling in Angiogenesis

The roles of growth factors such as angiopoietin (Ang) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in angiogenesis have been known for some time, yet we have just an incipient appreciation for the contribution of Wnts to this process. Cellular proliferation and polarity, apoptosis, branching morphogenesis, inductive processes, and the maintenance of stem cells in an undifferentiated, proliferative state are all regulated by Wnt signaling. The development and maintenance of vascular structures are dependent on all these processes, and their orchestration has, to some extent, been revealed in studies of VEGF and Ang receptors. Recent evidence links the Wnt/Frizzled signaling pathway to proper vascular growth in mammals but our knowledge of Wnt function in the vasculature is rudimentary. Further insight into vascular development and the process of angiogenesis depends on evaluating the function of novel endothelial regulatory pathways such as Wnt/Frizzled signaling.