Wnt signaling in cancer: Not a binary on:off switch

DJ Flanagan; E Vincan; TJ Phesse

Journal article

Wnt signaling in cancer: Not a binary on:off switch

DJ Flanagan, E Vincan, TJ Phesse

Cancer Research | AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH | Published : 2019

DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-1362

Abstract

In the March 1 issue of Cancer Research, we identified the Wnt receptor Fzd7 as an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of gastric cancer. In summary, we showed that pharmacological inhibition of Wnt receptors, or genetic deletion of Fzd7, blocks the initiation and growth of gastric tumors. Inhibiting Fzd receptors, specifically Fzd7, inhibits the growth of gastric cancer cells even in the presence of adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) mutation. Apc is located in the cytoplasm downstream of Fzd7 in the Wnt signaling cascade and APC mutations activate Wnt/b-catenin signaling, therefore, this result seems counterintuitive. Here, we analyze this result in greater detail in the context ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Elizabeth Vincan Author

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Grants

Awarded by Medical Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

Funding is gratefully acknowledged from the following: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC, 566679, and APP1099302 to E. Vincan and T.J. Phesse), Melbourne Health project grants (605030 and PG-002 to E. Vincan and T.J. Phesse), Medical Research Council (MR/R026424/1 to T.J. Phesse), Early Career Researcher grant (GIA-033 to D.J. Flanagan), Cancer Council of Victoria project grants (CCV, APP1020716 to E. Vincan and T.J. Phesse), CCV Fellowship (to D.J. Flanagan), and Cardiff University/CMU Research Fellowship (to T.J. Phesse).