Wnt10a is a member of the Wnt family, a gene family that encodes secreted signaling proteins that play crucial roles in normal development such as regulation of cell fate and patterning during embryogenesis as well as neoplastic transformation. Elevated levels of Wnt10a have been detected in several human tumors and cancer cell lines including colorectal cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukemia and it has been suggested that uncontrolled Wnt signaling may contribute to the defect in apoptosis that characterizes these malignancies. Recently, a mutation in Wnt10a was found to be associated with odonto-onycho-dermal dysplasia, an autosomal recessive ectodermal dysplasia.
