The roles of Wnt/-catenin pathway in tissue development and regenerative medicine

Regenerative medicine is a translational field which combines tissue engineering and molecular biology to construct spare organs or help injured or defective tissues to regenerate or restore their normal functions. This is particularly important with specific organs such as heart, central nervous system, retina, or limbs which possess very limited regenerative capacity. As such, regenerative medicine has received peculiar attention in the last decade. In this regard, Wnt/-catenin signaling pathway has been subject to intensive research, since it plays many essential roles in the regulation of the progenitor cell fate, developmental decisions, proliferation during embryonic development, and adult tissue homeostasis. In this paper, we will briefly introduce Wnt/-catenin signaling pathway and discuss how it integrally contributes to both stem and cancer stem cell maintenance. Finally, we summarize the current understanding of the role of Wnt/-catenin signaling in the development and regeneration of heart, lung, liver, bone, and cartilage.