Update on the Role of the Non-Canonical Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity Pathway in Neural Tube Defects.

ABSTRACT: Neural tube defects (NTDs), including spina bifida and anencephaly, represent the most severe and common malformations of the central nervous system affecting 0.7-3 per 1000 live births. They result from the failure of neural tube closure during the first few weeks of pregnancy. They have a complex etiology that implicate a large number of genetic and environmental factors that remain largely undetermined. Extensive studies in vertebrate models have strongly implicated the non-canonical Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of NTDs. The defects in this pathway lead to a defective convergent extension that is a major morphogenetic process essential for neural tube elongation and subsequent closure. A large number of genetic studies in human NTDs have demonstra

SUBMITTER: Wang M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6829399 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature