Recombinant Wnt-3a stimulated the rapid formation of elongated processes in Ewing sarcoma family tumor (ESFT) cells that were identified as neurites. The processes stained positively for polymerized actin and microtubules as well as synapsin I and growth-associated protein 43. Inhibition of the Wnt receptor, Frizzled3 (Fzd3), with antiserum or by short interfering RNA (siRNA) markedly reduced neurite extension. Knockdown of Dishevelled-2 (Dvl-2) and Dvl-3 also suppressed neurite outgrowth. Surprisingly, disruption of the Wnt/ Fzd/lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) complex and the associated -catenin signaling by treating cells either with the Wnt antagonist Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1) or LRP5/LRP6 siRNA enhanced neuritogenesis. Neurite outgrowth induced by Dkk1 or with LRP5/LRP6 siRNA was inhibited by secreted Fzd-related protein 1, a Wnt antagonist that binds directly to Wnt. Moreover, Dkk1 stimulation of neurite outgrowth was blocked by Fzd3 siRNA. These results suggested that Dkk1 shifted endogenous Wnt activity from the -catenin pathway to Fzd3-mediated, noncanonical signaling that is responsible for neurite formation. In particular, c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) was important for neurite outgrowth stimulated by both Wnt-3a and Dkk1. Our data demonstrate that Fzd3, Dvl, and JNK activity mediate Wnt-dependent neurite outgrowth and that ESFT cell lines will be useful experimental models for the study of Wnt-dependent neurite extension.The Wnts comprise a large family of secreted glycoproteins that have a variety of activities during embryonic development and promote tissue homeostasis in the adult. At the cellular level, Wnts control proliferation, differentiation, survival, motility, and polarity. They also affect the organization of the developing embryo by regulating tissue patterning, organogenesis, and specification of the body plan (43).Wnts are particularly important in the development of the nervous system, where they are required for several morphogenetic events, including neural tube closure and the formation of specific brain structures as well as induction and migration of neural crest cells (23,25). Wnt signaling has also been shown to stimulate axonal remodeling, pathfinding, dendritic arborization, and neuronal connectivity in the central nervous system (2,6,9,14,32,41,42). Targeted disruption of the gene encoding the Wnt receptor, Frizzled3 (Fzd3), caused severe defects in several major axon tracts of the forebrain, including a complete loss of the thalamocortical, corticothalamic, and nigrostriatal tracts and the anterior commissure as well as variable loss of the corpus callosum (41). Derailed/Ryk, a Wntbinding atypical receptor tyrosine kinase, regulates axon pathfinding in mammalian systems by eliciting either neurite-repulsive (15,18,33) or -attractive (19) responses, depending on the setting. Multiple downstream components of Wnt signaling pathways have been shown to function in neurite outgrowth, although their mechanisms of action have not been fully delineated. The inhibition of gl...