Member of the Wnt ligand gene family that encodes for secreted proteins, which activate the Wnt signaling cascade. Involved in neurogenesis. Performs a partially redundant function with wnt1 in the formation of the midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) organizer. In the embryo, expressed in the developing central nervous system (CNS), with an expression pattern very similar to that of wnt1. First detected at around 8 hours post-fertilization (hpf) within the prospective midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB). By 10 hpf, expressed in two stripes that converge at the dorsal midline. During somitogenesis, this expression domain extends to the prospective epiphysis and the dorsal midline of the hindbrain; unlike wnt1, wnt10b is detected in the prospective cerebellum. The hindbrain domain bifurcates along the midline to form two dorsolateral columns with transverse bands of up-regulation at rhombomere boundaries; these are refined into stripes which are maintained at least until at least 48 hpf. At 30 hpf, expressed in the epiphysis, the dorsal midline of the optic tectum, the anterior half of the MHB constriction and in the hindbrain walls. Palmitoleoylation is required for efficient binding to frizzled receptors. Depalmitoleoylation leads to Wnt signaling pathway inhibition. Belongs to the Wnt family.