Tumor formation by genetic mutations in the components of the Wnt signaling pathway

Abstract

The genetics of development and cancer have converged in the identification of intra- and extra-cellular signaling pathways that are aberrantly regulated in cancer, and are also central to embryonic patterning. The Wnt signaling pathway has provided an outstanding example of this. The genes for β-catenin, APC, and Axin in the Wnt signaling pathway are often mutated in human cancers. In all such cases, the common denominator is the activation of gene transcription by β-catenin. The resulting gene expression profile should provide a significant clue to the developmental mechanisms of cancers carrying defects in the Wnt signaling pathway. In this review, the functions of β-catenin, APC and Axin, and the alterations of the three genes in human cancers are described.