Wnt/beta-catenin pathway: modulating anticancer immune response

Abstract Wnt/β-catenin signaling, a highly conserved pathway through evolution, regulates key cellular functions including proliferation, differentiation, migration, genetic stability, apoptosis, and stem cell renewal. The Wnt pathway mediates biological processes by a canonical or noncanonical path...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sachin Gopalkrishna Pai, Benedito A. Carneiro, Jose Mauricio Mota, Ricardo Costa, Caio Abner Leite, Romualdo Barroso-Sousa, Jason Benjamin Kaplan, Young Kwang Chae, Francis Joseph Giles
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2017-05-01
Series:Journal of Hematology & Oncology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13045-017-0471-6
Description
Summary:Abstract Wnt/β-catenin signaling, a highly conserved pathway through evolution, regulates key cellular functions including proliferation, differentiation, migration, genetic stability, apoptosis, and stem cell renewal. The Wnt pathway mediates biological processes by a canonical or noncanonical pathway, depending on the involvement of β-catenin in signal transduction. β-catenin is a core component of the cadherin protein complex, whose stabilization is essential for the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. As multiple aberrations in this pathway occur in numerous cancers, WNT-directed therapy represents an area of significant developmental therapeutics focus. The recently described role of Wnt/β-catenin pathway in regulating immune cell infiltration of the tumor microenvironment renewed the interest, given its potential impact on responses to immunotherapy treatments. This article summarizes the role of Wnt/β-catenin pathway in cancer and ongoing therapeutic strategies involving this pathway.
ISSN:1756-8722