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GeneE
10 sources retrieved Β· Most recent: April 2026 Β· Index updated 14 days ago
β“˜GeneE is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
WLS
Wnt ligand secretion mediator
Chromosome 1 Β· 1p31.3
NCBI Gene: 79971Ensembl: ENSG00000116729.15HGNC: HGNC:30238UniProt: Q5T9L3
108PubMed Papers
21Diseases
0Drugs
3Pathogenic Variants
CLINICAL
OMIM Disease Gene
DATA QUALITY
βœ“ Experimental GO Evidenceβœ“ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingWnt-protein bindingintracellular protein transportpositive regulation of Wnt signaling pathwayZaki syndromeosteoporosisbone diseaseopen-angle glaucoma
✦AI Summary

WLS (Wnt ligand secretion mediator) is a transmembrane protein that serves as an essential chaperone for the secretion of all Wnt signaling proteins 1. The protein regulates Wnt protein sorting and secretion through a feedback regulatory mechanism, controlling expression, subcellular localization, binding, and organelle-specific association of Wnt proteins 1. Structurally, WLS belongs to the GOLD domain seven-transmembrane helix (GOST) protein family and functions as a membrane trafficking and secretion chaperone for lipidated Wnt proteins 2. During Wnt biogenesis, WLS binds to enzymatically lipidated Wnt proteins and facilitates their transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the extracellular space, with calreticulin serving as a chaperone to facilitate Wnt transfer from Porcupine to WLS 3. Biallelic pathogenic variants in WLS cause Zaki syndrome, a pleiotropic multiorgan condition characterized by microcephaly, facial dysmorphism, alopecia, syndactyly, renal agenesis, and heart defects 14. These mutations affect WLS protein stability and impair Wnt signaling, demonstrating the critical role of WLS in embryonic development 1. Mouse models suggest this condition may be potentially treatable with pharmacologic Wnt agonists 1.

Sources cited
1
WLS is essential for secretion of all Wnt proteins and causes Zaki syndrome when mutated
PMID: 34587386
2
WLS belongs to GOST protein family and functions as trafficking chaperone for lipidated Wnt proteins
PMID: 36373655
3
WLS binds lipidated Wnt proteins and facilitates ER to extracellular transport with calreticulin as chaperone
PMID: 37852257
4
WLS variants cause variable clinical severity in Zaki syndrome with expanded phenotypic spectrum
PMID: 37106064
⚠Limited data available β€” This gene has 4 indexed publications. Summary and analysis may be incomplete.
Disease Associationsβ“˜21
Zaki syndromeOpen Targets
0.73Strong
osteoporosisOpen Targets
0.47Moderate
bone diseaseOpen Targets
0.44Moderate
open-angle glaucomaOpen Targets
0.35Weak
glaucomaOpen Targets
0.32Weak
osteoarthritis, hipOpen Targets
0.31Weak
total hip arthroplastyOpen Targets
0.31Weak
Abnormality of the gastrointestinal tractOpen Targets
0.29Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
infectionOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
ovarian cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
glioblastomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
colon carcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
non-alcoholic fatty liver diseaseOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
brachydactyly type A7Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
ulnar hemimeliaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Zaki syndromeUniProt
Pathogenic Variants3
NM_024911.7(WLS):c.1433A>G (p.Tyr478Cys)Pathogenic
WLS syndrome|Zaki syndrome
β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†2025β†’ Residue 478
NM_024911.7(WLS):c.1175A>G (p.Tyr392Cys)Pathogenic
WLS syndrome|Zaki syndrome
β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†2024β†’ Residue 392
NM_024911.7(WLS):c.1592T>C (p.Ile531Thr)Likely pathogenic
WLS syndrome|Zaki syndrome
β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†2021β†’ Residue 531
View on ClinVar β†—
Related Genes
WNT1Protein interaction99%WNT7BProtein interaction99%WNT2BProtein interaction96%WNT9BProtein interaction96%SNX3Protein interaction91%VPS26AProtein interaction91%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Heart
100%
Brain
79%
Ovary
74%
Lung
39%
Liver
17%
Bone Marrow
12%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
WLSWNT1WNT7BWNT2BWNT9BSNX3VPS26A
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB7DRT Β· 2.20 Γ… Β· EM
View on RCSB β†—
Constraintβ“˜
LOEUFβ“˜
0.47Moderately Constrained
pLIβ“˜
0.99Intolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.33 [0.23–0.47]
RankingsWhere WLS stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #4,418of 20,598
    Most Researched108 Β· top quartile
  • #3,982of 5,498
    Most Pathogenic Variants3
  • #2,746of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.47 Β· top quartile
Genes detectedWLS
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response timeβ€”
πŸ“„ Sources
10β–Ό
1
Morphodynamics of human early brain organoid development.
PMID: 40533563
Nature Β· 2025
1.00
2
Molecular basis of Wnt biogenesis, secretion, and Wnt7-specific signaling.
PMID: 37852257
Cell Β· 2023
0.90
3
American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Integrated Health Nutritional Guidelines for the Surgical Weight Loss Patient 2016 Update: Micronutrients.
PMID: 28392254
Surg Obes Relat Dis Β· 2017
0.80
4
Restoration of follicular Ξ²-catenin signaling by mesenchymal stem cells promotes hair growth in mice with androgenetic alopecia.
PMID: 39563459
Stem Cell Res Ther Β· 2024
0.70
5
Structure of the GOLD-domain seven-transmembrane helix protein family member TMEM87A.
PMID: 36373655
Elife Β· 2022
0.60