Genomic insights into WNT/β-catenin signaling.

Trends Pharmacol Sci
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

The canonical WNT pathway regulates the stability of the proto-oncogene β-catenin and is aberrantly activated in many cancer types. Studies in a wide range of experimental models confirm that β-catenin activity is required for tumor initiation in cancers where this pathway is deregulated. However, to date this pathway has proven to be challenging to target therapeutically. Moreover, several lines of evidence suggest that other components and regulators of β-catenin exist. Here we will describe recent structural and functional studies describing genomic alterations and new regulators of β-catenin that lead to aberrant activation of the WNT/β-catenin pathway. These findings provide new insights into the biology of WNT/β-catenin signaling and suggest potential therapeutic opportunities.

Year of Publication
2014
Journal
Trends Pharmacol Sci
Volume
35
Issue
2
Pages
103-9
Date Published
2014 Feb
ISSN
1873-3735
URL
DOI
10.1016/j.tips.2013.11.007
PubMed ID
24365576
PubMed Central ID
PMC3917662
Links
Grant list
R01 CA140545 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
U01 CA176058 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States