Project description:In most cell types, nuclear β-catenin functions as prominent oncogenic driver and pairs with TCF7-family factors for transcriptional activation of MYC. Surprisingly, B-lymphoid malignancies not only lacked expression and activating lesions of β-catenin but critically depended on GSK3b for effective b-catenin degradation. Our interactome studies in B-lymphoid tumors revealed that b-catenin formed repressive complexes with lymphoid-specific Ikaros and Lef1 factors at the expense of TCF7. While Lef1 was critical for nuclear β-catenin translocation, nuclear b-catenin enabled Ikaros-mediated recruitment of nucleosome remodeling and deacetylation (NuRD) complexes for transcriptional repression of MYC.
Project description:Myeloid cell lines (K562 and HEL) were treated overnight with CHIR99021 or a vehicle control (DMSO). CHIR99021 treatment inhibits GSK3B within the destruction complex functioning in Wnt/beta-catenin signalling pathway, thereby preventing beta-catenin degradation and promoting its stabilization. Following the overnight incubation, beta-catenin RIP (RNA immunoprecipitation) was performed in both K562 and HEL cells. RNA samples obtained from beta-catenin RIP in these cells were then sequenced to identify beta-catenin-associated RNAs under CHIR99021 treatment compared to basal conditions (DMSO control).
Project description:The Wnt signaling pathway is deregulated in over 90% of human colorectal cancers. β Catenin, the central signal transducer of the Wnt pathway, can directly modulate gene expression by interacting with transcription factors of the TCF/LEF-family. In the present study we investigate the role of Wnt signaling in the homeostasis of intestinal epithelium using tissue-specific, inducible beta-catenin gene ablation in adult mice. Block of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling resulted in rapid loss of transient-amplifying cells and crypt structures. Importantly, intestinal stem cells were induced to terminally differentiate upon deletion of beta-catenin resulting in a complete block of intestinal homeostasis and fatal loss of intestinal function. Transcriptional profiling of mutant crypt mRNA isolated by laser capture micro dissection confirmed those observations and allowed to identify genes potentially responsible for the functional preservation of intestinal stem cells. Experiment Overall Design: laser capture microdissection of intestinal crypts, control vs. beta-catenin mutant (2days after induction of deletion by tamoxifen), two rounds of amplification of mRNA
Project description:Androgen receptor (AR) is the major therapeutic target in aggressive prostate cancer. However, targeting AR alone can result in drug resistance and disease recurrence. Therefore, simultaneous targeting of multiple pathways could in principle be an effective new approach to treating prostate cancer. Here we provide proof-of-concept that a small molecule inhibitor of nuclear β-catenin activity (called C3) can inhibit both the AR and β-catenin signaling pathways that are often misregulated in prostate cancer. Treatment with C3 ablated prostate cancer cell growth by disruption of both β-catenin/TCF and β-catenin/AR protein interaction, reflecting the fact that TCF and AR have overlapping binding sites on β-catenin. Given that AR interacts with, and is transcriptionally regulated by β-catenin, C3 treatment also resulted in decreased occupancy of β-catenin on the AR promoter and diminished AR and AR/β-catenin target gene expression. Interestingly, C3 treatment resulted in decreased AR binding to target genes accompanied by decreased recruitment of an AR and β-catenin cofactor, CARM1, providing new insight into the unrecognized function of β-catenin in prostate cancer. Importantly, C3 inhibited tumor growth in an in vivo xenograft model, and blocked renewal of bicalutamide-resistant sphere forming cells, indicating the therapeutic potential of this approach. Compare and contrast the expression profile of prostate cancer cells treated with a Wnt inhibitor (C3) with respect to β-catenin and AR knockdown (all samples in duplicates).
Project description:The Wnt signaling pathway is deregulated in over 90% of human colorectal cancers. β Catenin, the central signal transducer of the Wnt pathway, can directly modulate gene expression by interacting with transcription factors of the TCF/LEF-family. In the present study we investigate the role of Wnt signaling in the homeostasis of intestinal epithelium using tissue-specific, inducible beta-catenin gene ablation in adult mice. Block of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling resulted in rapid loss of transient-amplifying cells and crypt structures. Importantly, intestinal stem cells were induced to terminally differentiate upon deletion of beta-catenin resulting in a complete block of intestinal homeostasis and fatal loss of intestinal function. Transcriptional profiling of mutant crypt mRNA isolated by laser capture micro dissection confirmed those observations and allowed to identify genes potentially responsible for the functional preservation of intestinal stem cells. Keywords: genetic modification
Project description:β-Catenin signaling pathway regulates cardiomyocytes proliferation and differentiation, though its involvement in metabolic regulation of cardiomyocytes remains unknown. We used one-day-old mice with cardiac-specific knockout of β-catenin and neonatal rat ventricular myocytes treated with β-catenin inhibitor to investigate the role of β-catenin metabolism regulation in perinatal cardiomyocytes. Transcriptomics of perinatal β-catenin-ablated hearts revealed a dramatic shift in the expression of genes involved in metabolic processes. Further analysis indicated an inhibition of lipolysis and glycolysis in both in vitro and in vivo models. Finally, we showed that β-catenin deficiency leads to mitochondria dysfunction via the downregulation of Sirt1/PGC-1α pathway. We conclude that cardiac-specific β-catenin ablation disrupts the energy substrate shift that is essential for postnatal heart maturation, leading to perinatal lethality of homozygous β-catenin knockout mice.
Project description:Aortic valve stenosis (AVS) is a prevailing and life-threatening cardiovascular disease in adults over 75 years of age. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the pathogenesis of AVS are yet to be fully unraveled. With accumulating evidence that Wnt signaling plays a key role in the development of AVS, the involvement of intracellular Wnt molecules has become an integral study target in AVS pathogenesis. Thus, we hypothesized that the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway Wnt intracellular mediators, SFRP2, DVL2, GSK3β and β‐catenin are dysregulated in patients with AVS. Using immunohistochemistry, Real‐Time qPCR and Western blotting, we investigated the presence of SFRP2, GSK‐3β, DVL2 and β‐catenin in normal and stenotic human aortic valves. Markedly higher mRNA and protein expression of GSK‐3β, DVL2, β‐catenin and SFRP2 were found in stenotic aortic valves. This was further corroborated by observation of their abundant immunostaining, which displayed strong immunoreactivity in diseased aortic valves. Proteomic analyses of selective GSK3b inhibition in calcifying human aortic valve interstitial cells (HAVICs) revealed enrichment of proteins involved organophosphate metabolism, while reducing the activation of pathogenic biomolecular processes. Lastly, use of the potent calcification inhibitor, Fetuin A, in calcifying HAVICs significantly reduced the expression of Wnt signaling genes Wnt3a, Wnt5a, Wnt5b and Wnt11. The current findings of altered expression of canonical Wnt signaling in AVS suggest a possible role for regulatory Wnts in AVS. Hence, future studies focused on targeting these molecules are warranted to underline their role in the pathogenesis of the disease.
Project description:Chromatin immunoprecipitation DNA-sequencing (ChIP-seq) for UNC5D in MDA-MB-231 cells. UNC5D serves as a receptor for Netrin-1 and is highly expressed in breast cancer. Here, we report that UnICD, generated by caspase cleavage of UNC5D, translocates to the nucleus, interacts with the NuRD complex, and promotes tumorigenesis and development by relieving or reducing its suppression of β-catenin through inhibiting the transcription of GSK3B. In vitro experiments showed that the knockdown of UNC5D can inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Consistently, the expression level of UNC5D in breast cancer was negatively correlated with the expression level of GSK3B, and high levels of UNC5D were associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. These results suggest that UNC5D is a pivotal driver in breast carcinogenesis, potentially inducing the initiation and progression of breast cancer through the UnICD/NuRD-GSK3B-β-catenin axis.