WNT10B

WNT10B
Identifiers
Aliases	WNT10B, SHFM6, WNT-12, Wnt family member 10B, STHAG8
External IDs	OMIM: 601906; MGI: 108061; HomoloGene: 20721; GeneCards: WNT10B; OMA:WNT10B - orthologs
Gene location (Human) Chr. Chromosome 12 (human) Band 12q13.12 Start 48,965,340 bp End 48,971,735 bp
Gene location (Mouse) Chr. Chromosome 15 (mouse) Band 15 F1|15 54.65 cM Start 98,668,593 bp End 98,676,031 bp
RNA expression pattern Bgee Human Mouse (ortholog) Top expressed in orbitofrontal cortex nucleus accumbens Brodmann area 10 Region I of hippocampus proper cingulate gyrus anterior cingulate cortex Brodmann area 46 right frontal lobe dorsolateral prefrontal cortex entorhinal cortex Top expressed in prostatic epithelium surface ectoderm inner root sheath enamel knot hair skin of finger lip inner cell mass morula pretectal area More reference expression data BioGPS More reference expression data
Gene ontology Molecular function receptor ligand activity frizzled binding signaling receptor binding Cellular component extracellular region extracellular space Biological process cellular response to organic substance myoblast differentiation involved in skeletal muscle regeneration cellular response to retinoic acid cell fate commitment negative regulation of fat cell differentiation positive regulation of RNA polymerase II transcription preinitiation complex assembly chondrocyte differentiation positive regulation of bone mineralization lipid metabolism positive regulation of canonical Wnt signaling pathway regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II hematopoietic stem cell proliferation cellular response to organic cyclic compound protein stabilization positive regulation of DNA-binding transcription factor activity positive regulation of ossification negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II bone trabecula formation positive regulation of timing of anagen regulation of fat cell differentiation multicellular organism development positive regulation of epithelial cell differentiation positive regulation of osteoblast differentiation fungiform papilla development skeletal muscle tissue regeneration G2/M transition of mitotic cell cycle skeletal muscle fiber development neuron differentiation positive regulation of cell population proliferation negative regulation of epithelial cell proliferation positive regulation of apoptotic process regulation of proteasomal ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic process canonical Wnt signaling pathway regulation of skeletal muscle tissue development positive regulation of G2/M transition of mitotic cell cycle smoothened signaling pathway cellular response to parathyroid hormone stimulus regulation of protein metabolic process sensory perception of taste cellular response to cAMP positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II Wnt signaling pathway regulation of signaling receptor activity negative regulation of cold-induced thermogenesis Sources:Amigo / QuickGO
Orthologs Species Human Mouse Entrez 7480 22410 Ensembl ENSG00000169884 ENSMUSG00000022996 UniProt O00744 P48614 RefSeq (mRNA) NM_003394 NM_011718 RefSeq (protein) NP_003385 NP_035848 Location (UCSC) Chr 12: 48.97 – 48.97 Mb Chr 15: 98.67 – 98.68 Mb PubMed search
Wikidata
View/Edit Human View/Edit Mouse

Protein Wnt-10b (formerly Wnt12) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the WNT10B gene.

The WNT gene family consists of structurally related genes that encode secreted signaling proteins. These proteins have been implicated in developmental processes including regulation of cell fate and patterning during embryogenesis, as well as in oncogenesis.

Gene

This protein is 96% identical to the mouse Wnt10b protein at the amino acid level. The WNT10B gene is clustered with another family member, WNT1, in the chromosome 12q13 region.

Function

This gene is a member of the WNT gene family and encodes a secreted signaling protein involved in regulating developmental and homeostatic processes. Wnt10b signaling has been implicated as a molecular switch governing adipogenesis, where activation suppresses adipocyte differentiation and promotes alternative cell fates.

Experimental studies have also implicated Wnt10b in tissue regeneration. Gain-of-function of Wnt10b in mouse hearts improved cardiac tissue repair after myocardial injury by promoting coronary vessel formation and attenuating pathological fibrosis.

Clinical significance

WNT10B expression has been implicated in breast cancer.

A study published in 2025 identified an additional role for Wnt10b in promoting tolerance to replication stress in cancer cells. Under conditions of excessive proliferation, Wnt10b signaling was shown to limit replication stress–induced chromosomal instability by modulating microtubule dynamics and reducing chromosome segregation defects, thereby supporting tumor cell survival.

Because chromosomal instability contributes to tumor evolution and therapeutic resistance, inhibition of Wnt10b signaling has been proposed as a potential anticancer strategy to increase sensitivity to DNA-damaging therapies and chemotherapy.

Further reading

• Smolich BD, McMahon JA, McMahon AP, Papkoff J (1994). "Wnt family proteins are secreted and associated with the cell surface". Molecular Biology of the Cell. 4 (12): 1267–1275. doi:10.1091/mbc.4.12.1267. PMC 275763. PMID 8167409.
• Bergstein I, Eisenberg LM, Bhalerao J, Jenkins NA, Copeland NG, Osborne MP, et al. (December 1997). "Isolation of two novel WNT genes, WNT14 and WNT15, one of which (WNT15) is closely linked to WNT3 on human chromosome 17q21". Genomics. 46 (3): 450–458. doi:10.1006/geno.1997.5041. PMID 9441749.
• Ross SE, Hemati N, Longo KA, Bennett CN, Lucas PC, Erickson RL, et al. (August 2000). "Inhibition of adipogenesis by Wnt signaling". Science. 289 (5481). New York, N.Y.: 950–953. Bibcode:2000Sci...289..950R. doi:10.1126/science.289.5481.950. PMID 10937998.
• Kirikoshi H, Sekihara H, Katoh M (2001). "WNT10A and WNT6, clustered in human chromosome 2q35 region with head-to-tail manner, are strongly coexpressed in SW480 cells". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 283 (4): 798–805. doi:10.1006/bbrc.2001.4855. PMID 11350055.
• Saitoh T, Kirikoshi H, Mine T, Katoh M (2002). "Proto-oncogene WNT10B is up-regulated by tumor necrosis factor alpha in human gastric cancer cell line MKN45". International Journal of Oncology. 19 (6): 1187–1192. doi:10.3892/ijo.19.6.1187. PMID 11713588.
• Kasat K, Go V, Pogo BG (2003). "Effects of pyrethroid insecticides and estrogen on WNT10B proto-oncogene expression". Environment International. 28 (5): 429–432. doi:10.1016/S0160-4120(02)00072-7. PMID 12437293.
• Christodoulides C, Scarda A, Granzotto M, Milan G, Dalla Nora E, Keogh J, et al. (April 2006). "WNT10B mutations in human obesity". Diabetologia. 49 (4): 678–684. doi:10.1007/s00125-006-0144-4. PMC 4304000. PMID 16477437.
• Thrasivoulou C, Millar M, Ahmed A (2013). "Activation of intracellular calcium by multiple Wnt ligands and translocation of β-catenin into the nucleus: a convergent model of Wnt/Ca2+ and Wnt/β-catenin pathways". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 288 (50): 35651–35659. doi:10.1074/jbc.M112.437913. PMC 3861617. PMID 24158438.