@article {cite-key, title = {Wingless repression of Drosophila frizzled 2 expression shapes the Wingless morphogen gradient in the wing.}, journal = {Cell}, volume = {93}, number = {5}, year = {1998}, month = {May}, pages = {767{\textendash}777}, address = {Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University Medical Center, California 94305, USA.}, abstract = {In Drosophila wing imaginal discs, the Wingless (Wg) protein acts as a morphogen, emanating from the dorsal/ventral (D/V) boundary of the disc to directly define cell identities along the D/V axis at short and long range. Here, we show that high levels of a Wg receptor, Drosophila frizzled 2 (Dfz2), stabilize Wg, allowing it to reach cells far from its site of synthesis. Wg signaling represses Dfz2 expression, creating a gradient of decreasing Wg stability moving toward the D/V boundary. This repression of Dfz2 is crucial for the normal shape of Wg morphogen gradient as well as the response of cells to the Wg signal. In contrast to other ligand-receptor relationships where the receptor limits diffusion of the ligand, Dfz2 broadens the range of Wg action by protecting it from degradation.}, issn = {0092-8674 (Print); 0092-8674 (Linking)}, author = {Cadigan, K M and Fish, M P and Rulifson, E J and Nusse, R} }