Identification of novel pathways involved in the pathogenesis of human adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma.

ABSTRACT: Activating mutations in the gene encoding β-catenin have been identified in the paediatric form of human craniopharyngioma (adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma, ACP), a histologically benign but aggressive pituitary tumour accounting for up to 10% of paediatric intracranial tumours. Recently, we generated an ACP mouse model and revealed that, as in human ACP, nucleocytoplasmic accumulation of β-catenin (β-cat(nc)) and over-activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway occurs only in a very small proportion of cells, which form clusters. Here, combining mouse genetics, fluorescence labelling and flow-sorting techniques, we have isolated these cells from tumorigenic mouse pituitaries and shown that the β-cat(nc) cells are enriched for colony-forming cells when cultured in stem cell-promoting media,

SUBMITTER: Andoniadou CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3400760 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature