Wnt signalling pathways have key roles in joint development, homeostasis and disease, particularly in osteoarthritis. New data is starting to reveal the importance of tightly regulating canonical Wnt signalling pathway activation to maintain homeostasis and health in articular cartilage. In addition to the presence of different Wnt antagonists that limit pathway activation in articular cartilage, the reciprocal crosstalk between the canonical and non-canonical cascades and competitive antagonism between different Wnt ligands seem to be critical in restraining excessive Wnt pathway activation. Changes in transcriptional complex assembly upon Wnt pathway activation, epigenetic modulation of target gene transcription, in particular through histone modifications, and complex interactions between the Wnt signalling pathway and other signalling pathways, are also instrumental in adjusting Wnt signalling. In this Review, the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in fine-tuning canonical Wnt signalling in the joint are updated, with a focus on the articular cartilage. The interventions for preventing or treating osteoarthritis are also discussed, which should aim to limit disease-associated excessive canonical Wnt activity to avoid joint damage.

Wnt信号通路在关节发育，体内平衡和疾病（尤其是骨关节炎）中具有关键作用。新数据开始揭示严格调节经典Wnt信号通路激活对维持关节软骨的稳态和健康的重要性。除了限制关节软骨中通路激活的不同Wnt拮抗剂的存在外，规范和非规范级联之间的相互串扰以及不同Wnt配体之间的竞争性拮抗作用似乎对抑制过度的Wnt通路激活至关重要。Wnt信号通路激活后转录复合物装配的变化，靶基因转录的表观遗传调控（特别是通过组蛋白修饰）以及Wnt信号通路与其他信号通路之间的复杂相互作用，在调节Wnt信号方面也有帮助。在这篇综述中，涉及关节的经典Wnt信号微调的细胞和分子机制得到了更新，重点是关节软骨。还讨论了预防或治疗骨关节炎的干预措施，其目的应是限制与疾病相关的过量规范Wnt活性，以避免关节损伤。