Multiprotein complexes governing Wnt signal transduction

Three multiprotein complexes have key roles in transducing Wnt signals from the plasma membrane to the cell nucleus the beta-catenin destruction complex, or Axin degradasome, which targets the Wnt effector beta-catenin for proteasomal degradation in the absence of Wnt; the Wnt signalosome, assembled by polymerization of Dishevelled upon Wnt engaging its receptors, to inactivate the Axin degradasome, which allows beta-catenin to accumulate; and the Wnt enhanceosome which enables beta-catenin to gain access to target genes, to relieve their transcriptional repression by Groucho/TLE. This review focuses on recent advances that have highlighted mechanistic principles governing the assembly and function of these complexes.