Activated Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in melanoma is associated with decreased proliferation in patient tumors and a murine melanoma model.

ABSTRACT: This study demonstrates that in malignant melanoma, elevated levels of nuclear beta-catenin in both primary tumors and metastases correlate with reduced expression of a marker of proliferation and with improved survival, in contrast to colorectal cancer. The reduction in proliferation observed in vivo is recapitulated in B16 murine melanoma cells and in human melanoma cell lines cultured in vitro with either WNT3A or small-molecule activators of beta-catenin signaling. Consistent with these results, B16 melanoma cells expressing WNT3A also exhibit decreased tumor size and decreased metastasis when implanted into mice. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling reveals that WNT3A up-regulates genes implicated in melanocyte differentiation, several of which are down-regulated with melanoma progre

SUBMITTER: Chien AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2626610 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature