Onyx, University Hospital, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins Oncology Center other research news

In three separate reports, ONXX and university researchers published evidence that implicates the molecule beta-catenin as an accomplice to a known culprit in colon cancer. As reported in Science, the cancerous condition called adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), an inherited predisposition to colon cancer, is also associated with beta-catenin: mutations in that protein are present even if the APC tumor suppressor is normal, the research shows.

The condition is linked to mutations in a gene coding for a large protein, APC, that binds beta-catenin. The latter is known to be a component of cell-cell adhesive junctions, and transduces cell signals during development. The researchers postulate that beta-catenin affects apoptosis or cell proliferation, and that disruptions in its regulation create cancerous conditions. ...