The Wnt gene family encodes and secretes signaling molecules that play important roles in embryonic development, including dorsal and ventral patterns in limb development, skeletal development, and urogenital development. They are also required for central nervous system (CNS) angiogenesis and blood-brain barrier regulation. Wnt7a, as an oncogenic autocrine glycoprotein, promotes tumor invasion and distant metastasis of cancer associated fibroblasts. Wnt7b is necessary for endothelial cells derived from pluripotent stem cells to acquire blood-brain barrier properties and may play an important role in the development of human myopia.
