Blocking Wnt signaling by SFRP-like molecules inhibits in vivo cell proliferation and tumor growth in cells carrying active β-catenin.

ABSTRACT: Constitutive activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cancer results from mutations in pathway components, which frequently coexist with autocrine Wnt signaling or epigenetic silencing of extracellular Wnt antagonists. Among the extracellular Wnt inhibitors, the secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) are decoy receptors that contain soluble Wnt-binding frizzled domains. In addition to SFRPs, other endogenous molecules harboring frizzled motifs bind to and inhibit Wnt signaling. One of such molecules is V3Nter, a soluble SFRP-like frizzled polypeptide that binds to Wnt3a and inhibits Wnt signaling and expression of the β-catenin target genes cyclin D1 and c-myc. V3Nter is derived from the cell surface extracellular matrix component collagen XVIII. Here, we used HCT116 human colon cancer

SUBMITTER: Lavergne E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3501789 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature