SMAD4 Suppresses WNT-Driven Dedifferentiation and Oncogenesis in the Differentiated Gut Epithelium.

ABSTRACT: The cell of origin of colon cancer is typically thought to be the resident somatic stem cells, which are immortal and escape the continual cellular turnover characteristic of the intestinal epithelium. However, recent studies have identified certain conditions in which differentiated cells can acquire stem-like properties and give rise to tumors. Defining the origins of tumors will inform cancer prevention efforts as well as cancer therapies, as cancers with distinct origins often respond differently to treatments. We report here a new condition in which tumors arise from the differentiated intestinal epithelium. Inactivation of the differentiation-promoting transcription factor SMAD4 in the intestinal epithelium was surprisingly well tolerated in the short term. However, after several mon

SUBMITTER: Perekatt AO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6125228 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature