TOPGAL mice show that the canonical Wnt signaling pathway is active during bone development and growth and is activated by mechanical loading in vitro.

Unlabelled: We identified cellular targets of canonical Wnt signaling within the skeleton, which included chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and osteocytes in growing bone, but only osteocytes and chondrocytes in the mature skeleton. Mechanical deformation induced Wnt signaling in osteoblasts in vitro.

Introduction: Genetic evidence in mice and humans has implicated the canonical Wnt signaling pathway in the control of skeletal development and bone mass.