Multiple roles of canonical Wnt signaling in cell cycle progression and cell lineage specification in neural development.

Signaling by the canonical Wnt pathway has multiple functions in stem cells. It can either control stem cell expansion or--as we have recently demonstrated with neural crest stem cells-influence cell lineage decisions by promoting specific fates at the expense of others. Thus, the role of canonical Wnt in stem cells is dependent on cell--intrinsic properties that determine how a cell responds to Wnt. The molecular basis for the functional diversity of Wnt in different stem cell types remains to be elucidated.