The WNT10B gene encodes a member of the WNT family of secreted signaling proteins. The WNT10B protein mediates the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and thereby plays a role in several developmental processes. These include the regulation of adipocyte, chondrocyte and epithelial cell differentiation, hematopoietic stem cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest and cell fate commitment, apoptosis, skeletal muscle fiber development and bone trabecula formation. It is also involved in the cellular response to hydrostatic pressure, parathyroid hormone stimulus, retinoic acid and cAMP.
Mutations in this gene can thus have strong pathological consequences. WNT10B has been implicated in Split-Hand/Foot Malformation 6; (SHFM6), a rare limb disorder characterized by syndactyly and median clefts in the hands or feet. The gene has also been associated with Tooth Agenesis, Selective, 8 (STHAG8), a condition wherein affected individuals exhibit the congenital absence of several teeth in their permanent dentition.