WINGLESS INACTIVATES GLYCOGEN-SYNTHASE KINASE-3 VIA AN INTRACELLULAR SIGNALING PATHWAY WHICH INVOLVES A PROTEIN-KINASE-C

The Drosophila gene product Wingless (Wg) is a secreted glycoprotein a nd a member of the Wnt gene family, Genetic analysis of Drosophila epi dermal development has defined a putative paracrine Wg signalling path way involving the zeste-white 3/shaggy (zw3/sgg) gene product, Althoug h putative components of Wg- (and by inference Wnt-) mediated signalli ng pathways have been identified by genetic analysis, the biochemical significance of most factors remains unproven, Here we show that in mo use 10T1/2 fibroblasts the activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK -3), the murine homologue of Zw3/Sgg, is inactivated by Wg, This occur s through a signalling pathway that is distinct from insulin-mediated regulation of GSK-3 in that Wg signalling to GSK-3 is insensitive to w ortmannin, Additionally, Wg-induced inactivation of GSK-3 is sensitive to both the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor Ro31-8220 and prolonged pre-treatment of 10T1/2 fibroblasts with phorbol ester. These findings provide the first biochemical evidence in support of the genetically defined pathway from Wg to Zw3/Sgg, and suggest a previously uncharact erized role for a PKC upstream of GSK-3/Zw3 during Wnt/Wg signal trans duction.