Wnt信号通路是一个复杂的蛋白质作用网络，其功能最常见于胚胎发育和癌症，但也参与成年动物的正常生理过程。 现在已鉴别出三种Wnt信号通路：经典Wnt通路（canonical Wnt pathway）、非经典Wnt/平面细胞极化通路（noncanonical Wnt/planar cell polarity pathway，PCP）和非经典Wnt/钙离子通路（noncanonical Wnt/calcium pathway）。所有这三种Wnt信号通路都由Wnt蛋白配体与其受体卷曲受体的结合来激活，将信号传给胞内的散乱蛋白。经典Wnt信号通路参与基因表达的调控，非经典平面细胞极化通路调控细胞骨架控制细胞形状，非经典Wnt/钙离子通路调控细胞内钙离子的浓度。Wnt信号通路常用于临近的细胞之间的通信（旁分泌）或同个细胞自身的通信（自分泌）。Wnt信号通路在动物中高度保守，从果蝇到人类都非常类似。

The Wnt signaling pathways are a group of signal transduction pathways made of proteins that pass signals into a cell through cell surface receptors. Three Wnt signaling pathways have been characterized: the canonical Wnt pathway, the noncanonical planar cell polarity pathway, and the noncanonical Wnt/calcium pathway. All three pathways are activated by binding a Wnt-protein ligand to a Frizzled family receptor, which passes the biological signal to the protein dishevelled inside the cell. The canonical Wnt pathway leads to regulation of gene transcription. The noncanonical planar cell polarity pathway regulates the cytoskeleton that is responsible for the shape of the cell. The noncanonical Wnt/calcium pathway regulates calcium inside the cell. Wnt signaling pathways use either nearby cell-cell communication (paracrine) or same-cell communication (autocrine). They are highly evolutionarily conserved in animals, which means they are similar across animal species from fruit flies to humans.