Can Wnt5a and Wnt non-canonical pathways really mediate adipocyte de-differentiation in a tumour microenvironment?

Wnt5a has been recently reported as a possible triggering factor of adipocyte de-differentiation into an adipocyte-derived fibroblast in the tumour microenvironment of pancreas cancer. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway was described in processes involving de-differentiation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition but some Wnt family-belonging molecules exert an adipogenic role on adipocyte, while other ones, such as Wnt10b or Wnt3a, an anti-adipogenic role. Although this ability depends on the different tumoural microenvironments, it is intriguing to ascertain if some Wnt molecules, participating in the non-canonical pathway, may be targeted as fundamental factors able to trigger the desmoplastic reaction of peritumoural white adipose tissue.

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