APC at a glance

Abstract

In summary, by interacting with a complex set of cellular proteins and pathways, APC contributes to differentiation, cell migration, proliferation and adhesion. The toxic environment of the gut lumen means that all cells other than stem cells have a short life span in this tissue. Active migration accompanies cell differentiation to ensure that epithelial cells in the gut are usually exfoliated within 3-5 days. As a consequence, normal gut maintenance requires that cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion along with migration, proliferation and differentiation are balanced and maintained at all times. Mutations in APC are likely to affect all of these processes, which may explain why mutations in this single gene are sufficient to initiate the development of cancer.