Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling Regulation and a Role for Biomolecular Condensates.

Summary Wnt/β-Catenin signaling plays key roles in tissue homeostasis and cell fate decisions in embryonic and post-embryonic development across the animal kingdom. As a result, pathway mutations are associated with developmental disorders and many human cancers. The multiprotein destruction complex keeps signaling off in the absence of Wnt ligands and needs to be downregulated for pathway activation. We discuss new insights into destruction complex activity and regulation, highlighting parallels to the control of other cell biological processes by biomolecular condensates that form by phase separation to suggest that the destruction complex acts as a biomolecular condensate in Wnt pathway regulation. Wnt/β-Catenin signaling controls tissue homeostasis and cell fate decisions. The multiprotein destruction complex suppresses signaling in absence of Wnt ligand and is downregulated for pathway activation. Schaefer and Peifer discuss new insights into destruction complex activity and regulation, highlighting evidence that it acts as a biomolecular condensate in pathway control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]