Frizzled-8

The FZD8 gene lies within the Williams-Beuren syndrome critical region on chromosome 7q11.23, and the receptor is hemizygously deleted in that disorder, suggesting a contribution to its neurodevelopmental and skeletal features. Frizzled-8 binds Wnt ligands through its cysteine-rich domain and activates both canonical beta-catenin signaling and planar cell polarity pathways. In bone biology, FZD8 modulates osteoblast differentiation and has been reported to enhance bone formation and protect against osteoporosis-related bone loss in animal studies. FZD8 expression is elevated in pancreatic cancer and in some breast tumor cell lines, where it supports Wnt-driven proliferation. Recombinant FZD8 CRD proteins are used as binding probes and as immunogens for antibody discovery against this receptor.