Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor Related Protein 5 (LRP5)

LRP5 expression by osteoblasts in situ and showed that LRP5 can transduce Wnt signaling in vitro via the canonical pathway. They further showed that a mutant secreted form of Lrp5 could reduce bone thickness in mouse calvarial explant cultures. These data indicated that Wnt-mediated signaling via LRP5 affects bone accrual during growth and is important for the establishment of peak bone mass.LRP5 gene contains 23 coding exons and spans more than 100 kb. This protein also acts as a co-receptor with Frizzled protein family members for transducing signals by Wnt proteins and was originally cloned on the basis of its association with type 1 diabetes mellitus in humans. This protein plays a key role in skeletal homeostasis and many bone density related diseases are caused by mutations in this gene.