?-catenin and ?-catenin are dispensable for T lymphocytes and AML leukemic stem cells.

ABSTRACT: The ?-catenin transcriptional coregulator is involved in various biological and pathological processes; however, its requirements in hematopoietic cells remain controversial. We re-targeted the Ctnnb1 gene locus to generate a true ?-catenin-null mutant mouse strain. Ablation of ?-catenin alone, or in combination with its homologue ?-catenin, did not affect thymocyte maturation, survival or proliferation. Deficiency in ?/?-catenin did not detectably affect differentiation of CD4+T follicular helper cells or that of effector and memory CD8+ cytotoxic cells in response to acute viral infection. In an MLL-AF9 AML mouse model, genetic deletion of ?-catenin, or even all four Tcf/Lef family transcription factors that interact with ?-catenin, did not affect AML onset in primary recipients, or the ability of leukemic stem cells (LSCs) in propagating AML in secondary recipients. Our data thus clarify on a long-standing controversy and indicate that ?-catenin is dispensable for T cells and AML LSCs.

SUBMITTER: Zhao X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7462606 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature