One-pot synthesis of heterodimeric agonists that activate the canonical Wnt signaling pathway

Abstract

Fragment antigen-binding domains (Fabs) from anti-Frizzled and anti-LRP6 monoclonal antibodies were conjugated using SpyTag–SpyCatcher chemistry via a one-pot reaction. The resulting synthetic heterodimeric agonist outperformed the natural ligand, Wnt-3a, in activating canonical Wnt signaling in mammalian cells. This approach should be broadly applicable to activate receptor-mediated cellular signaling.