Frizzled-2

Encoded by the FZD2 gene, Frizzled-2 is a Wnt receptor whose cysteine-rich domain engages ligands such as Wnt5a and Wnt7b. Compared with Frizzled-1, it is more often coupled to non-canonical branches of Wnt signaling, including planar cell polarity and Wnt/Ca2+ cascades that act through Dishevelled and downstream JNK or PKC. Fzd2-null mice display congenital heart defects, pointing to a role in cardiac morphogenesis, and the receptor is also expressed in chondrocytes, vasculature and multiple epithelia. Elevated FZD2 expression has been reported in colorectal, ovarian and liver tumors, where it is linked to invasiveness, making it a candidate biomarker and a target for Wnt-pathway modulators.