β-catenin is required for prostate development and cooperates with Pten loss to drive invasive carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Prostate cancer is a major cause of male death in the Western world, but few frequent genetic alterations that drive prostate cancer initiation and progression have been identified. β-Catenin is essential for many developmental processes and has been implicated in tumorigenesis in many tissues, including prostate cancer. However, expression studies on human prostate cancer samples are unclear on the role this protein plays in this disease. We have used in vivo genetic studies in the embryo and adult to extend our understanding of the role of β-Catenin in the normal and neoplastic prostate. Our gene deletion analysis revealed that prostate epithelial β-Catenin is required for embryonic prostate growth and branching but is dispensable in the normal adult organ. During development, β-Catenin

SUBMITTER: Francis JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3536663 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature