1.1. Name of target and key citation 0%
Beta Catenin (β-catenin) or Catenin Beta-1 (CTNNB1) protein.
Key citation: Ma, X.Y., Ma, C.X. and Wang, J.H. (2014) Endometrial Carcinogenesis and Molecular Signaling Pathways. American Journal of Molecular Biology, 4, 134-149.
1.2. What is the normal function of the target? 10% β-catenin is a proto-oncogene and it is encoded by CTNNB1 gene. It forms a component of the E-cadherin – catenin unit which plays essential roles in the cell differentiation and maintenance of the normal tissue architecture. Also, it involves in the signal transduction, the canonical WNT signalling pathways (β-catenin dependent WNT signalling pathways). The activated canonical WNT signalling pathways increase the level of β-catenin in the cytoplasm, causing translocation of β-catenin into the nucleus. This raises the level of β-catenin in the nucleus, leading to the initiation of the transcriptional activation through the LEF/Tcf pathway. The process involves in the canonical WNT signalling pathways is important in cell proliferation. The deactivated canonical WNT signalling pathways will casue β-catenin to undergo ubiquitination and proteosomal degradation through the β-TrCP/Skp pathway. These processes happen under normal circumstances of functional β-catenin.
1.3. How has the target been implicated in cancer? 20%
Researchers discovered significance association of CTNNB1 gene mutation with molecular carcinogenesis tumours such as
In vitro: ICG-001 specifically inhibits T-cell factor/β-catenin transcription in a cyclicAMP responseelement binding protein binding protein (CBP)-dependent fashion. Furthermore, ICG-001 blocks selectively the β-catenin/CBP interaction without interfering with the β-catenin/p300 interaction
Breast cancer is a popular disease that many people are afraid of. It is the growth of altered genes that create malignant tumors starting in a female or male’s breast tissue. Cancer has a reputation of being caused by hormones, but that may not always be the case. Hormones are chemicals that work as chemical messengers in the body and affect the duties of cells and tissues. The ovaries in premenopausal and postmenopausal women usually produce the hormones, like estrogen and progesterone. The hormone estrogen develops and maintains the female sex features and progesterone have to do with women 's menstrual cycle and pregnancy. In a breast cancer cell, it
Type II carcinomas (high grade serous, high grade endometrioid and undifferentiated carcinomas) present at advanced stages, are genetically unstable and aggressive (Koshiyama, Matsumura and Konishi, 2014).
Epithelial tumors about ninety percent of ovarian cancer develop in the epithelium, which is the thin sheet of tissue that protects the ovaries. This form of ovarian cancer generally occurs in postmenopausal women. Germ cell carcinoma, making up about five percent of ovarian cancer causes, begins in the cells that form eggs. Germ cell carcinoma can transpire in any woman; however, it tends to be found in women who are just entering adulthood. There are several different varieties of germ cell carcinoma that exist, but the three most familiar types are teratomas, dysgerminomas and endodermal sinus tumors. Most of the tumors that surface in the germ cells are not cancerous. However, stromal carcinoma tumors ovarian stromal carcinoma are malignant, accounting for about five percent of ovarian cancer cases. These tumors emerge in the connective tissue cells that connect the ovaries together and those that produce female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. The two most common types of tumors are granulosa cell tumors and sertoli leydig cell tumors. In contrast to epithelial ovarian carcinoma, 70 percent of stromal carcinoma cases are detected when they are in the beginning stage. Small cell carcinoma of the ovaries is a rare, distinctly c tumor that affects primarily young women whom have an average age of 24 years old. The subtypes of small cell carcinoma of the ovaries includes pulmonary, neuro-endocrine and hypercalcemic small cell carcinoma of the ovaries accounts for 0.1 percent of ovarian cancer instances. Approximately two thirds of patients with small cell carcinoma ovaries have hypercalcemia which is when there is an abundant amount of calcium in the blood. (``Types of Ovarian Cancer``,
Zic2 is the vertebrate homologue of the Drosophila opa gene containing the zinc-finger motif for DNA binding (Aruga et al., 1996). In the mouse, the expression of Zic2 is first detected at the time of gastrulation and later becomes restricted to the dorsal roof plate of the forebrain (Nagai et al., 1997). A hypomorphic mutation of Zic2 results in a failure of roof plate induction, thus causing a mild form of HPE in the mouse (Nagai et al., 2000). However, mutations in the DNA binding and transactivation domains of Zic2 lead to a more severe form of HPE, owing to the defective development of prechordal plate formation at the time of gastrulation (Warr et al., 2008). Recent evidence suggests that Zic2 may regulate forebrain development by controlling β-catenin activity and thus affecting the Wnt signaling pathway(Pourebrahim et al., 2011). Later, Zic2 continues to express in the forebrain roof plate of mouse and chick embryos within the
If the APC protein were to experience a nonsense mutation, the most common mutation in regards to this specific genetic disease, the destruction complex would not perform correctly and the wnt-signaling pathway would be stimulated. Problems begin to arise when “the Wnt/Beta-catenin pathway is activated [by] a Wnt ligand [binding] to seven-pass transmembrane Frizzled receptor and its co-receptor, low-density lipoprotein related protein 6 (LRP6) or its close relative LRP5” (MacDonald, et. al 2009). Once the wnt-signaling pathway is stimulated, a Wnt-Fz-LRP6 complex forms and takes in the Dishevelled (Dvl) protein, resulting in the phosphorylation and activation of the recruitment of the axin complex, destruction complex, to the receptors. (MacDonald, et al 2009). Due to the phosphorylation within the Wnt-Fz-LRP6 complex, the axin complex is not able to phosphorylate Beta-Catenin, which leads to the excessive accumulation of the protein in the cytoplasm. Researchers witnessed the development of numerous intestinal adenomas in transgenic mice with stabilized mutant Beta-catenin, therefore the results suggest that dysregulation of Beta-catenin is a key oncogenic event that follows the loss of APC function. (Tarapore, et. al 2011). The loss of the destruction complex’s normal activities results in elevated levels of Beta-catenin and downstream effectors such as CCND1,
Epithelium Ovarian Cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in women and ranks at the number 5 cause of death relating to cancer in the United States in women (Bristow 2013). Out of all the common gynecological diseases ovarian cancer is the most lethal with an average of 240,000 new cases of ovarian cancer per year and 152,000 deaths every year (Mezzanica 2015; Hong et al. 2013). Most women are diagnosed around the age of 63, but diagnosis is not limited to older or younger women. Ovarian Cancer makes up 90% of all ovarian diseases, and is the main diagnosed disease of women after menopause (Jelovac and Armstrong 2011). “A woman’s risk of getting invasive ovarian cancer in her lifetime is about 1 in 71 and the lifetime risk of dying from invasive ovarian cancer is about 1 in 95”
Ovarian cancer is also one of the cancer that is affecting millions of women in today’s world. The previous researches were claiming that ovarian cancer comes from ovary cells. However, studies have found that ovarian cancer could be coming from fallopian tube. Dr. Burdette’s lab researched how fallopian tube can be contributing to ovarian cancer, and her research shows strong evidence of how does it occurs. It is very important to find a cure for ovarian cancer, otherwise deaths due to ovarian cancer will keep increasing. Also, ovarian cancer has potential higher risk of causing breast cancer. Curing ovarian cancer will stop it from damaging other tissues because the hormones released from ovaries can negatively impact cell proliferation
Korch exposed 19 endometrial and ovarian cell lines that were false, some created from normal tissue allowing to help prevent cancer from beginning.
Understanding of the WNT signaling pathway in melanoma progression may be critical-studies have found canonical and noncanonical WNT signaling affect different stages of tumor progression, with canonical affecting melanoma formation and noncanonical affecting melanoma metastasis.38 There exists controversy in regards to the exact involvement of WNT signaling has on melanoma behavior. One study showed loss of nuclear beta-catenin staining was associated with aggressive melanoma behavior,39 and another study showed that elevated levels of nuclear beta-catenin was associated with reduced proliferation of melanoma cells.40 Combined these findings suggest that Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is important for melanoma cell homeostasis, and if dysregulated, can lead to transformation of melanoma
Ovaries are a pair of female sex organs that store and release eggs in the process of the reproductive system. Ovarian cancer is located in the ovaries where uncontrollable multiplication of cancer cells occur (Garnick, 2014). Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of death in women in the United States (Su, 2013). There are over 200,000 new cases each year worldwide and it is common in women over the age of 60 (Brain, 2014). The high mortality rate of ovarian cancer is caused by the lack of a screening techniques to detect it early on (Visintin et al, 2008). Epithelial ovarian cancer, borderline ovarian tumors, germ cell ovarian cancer, and stromal ovarian cancer are four types of ovarian cancer. There are various stages to ovarian
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that develops in a woman’s cervix, which is the entrance to the uterus through the vagina. There are glandular cells lining the inside of the cervix and they produce mucus. The cervix is covered with a layer of skin-like cells on the other surface, called ‘ectocervix. These cells of the ectocervix and glandular cells can become cancerous, by malignant tumours from cells that are able to invade the surrounding tissue and organs causing serious damage to it, by abnormal cell growth and tumour in the area. The area of the cervix that is most likely to be prone to cancer, is the opening area of the cervix or space within the cervix called the ‘endocervical canal’. This area is the narrow passage way which gives
The BRCA genes are tumor suppressor genes that inhibit tumor growth when functioning normally. When they mutate, they lose their tumor suppressor ability. This results in an increase for women to develop ovarian cancer. Risk factors a 1st degree family member, women who have never been pregnant, increasing age, high fat diet, increased number of ovulatory cycles, and infertility drugs. 90% of ovarian cancer are epithelial carcinomas that arise from malignant transformation of the surface epithelial cells. Germ cell tumors account for
This cellular insult is preceded due to induction of mitogenic and survival stimulus via gene expression communicated through a nuclear ligand-dependent transcription factor known as Estrogen receptor (ER). Estrogen and steroid estrogen receptor play pivotal role in growth, differentiation, and apoptosis of breast epithelial cells. At molecular level two types of ER are expressed in mammals, namely ER α and ER β exhibiting different distribution and function. ER α is expressed in 15-30% of luminal epithelial cells of normal breast tissue, and it is diagnosed in >60% of breast and ovarian cancers. The proliferation of breast epithelial cells regulated through ER occurs paracrine. Cells which express ER produce growth factors stimulated by ER
Gynecological cancers continue to be an important health problem worldwide.[1] Gynecological cancers accounts for 1/3 of entire female malignancies. [2] Cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancers are the leading types of gynecologic cancers. While Vulval, vagina, fallopian tubes and choriocarcinoma are less frequent sites for female genital malignancies. [3] Worldwide incidence and mortality rates (per 100.000) of gynecological cancers are respectively as follows: cervical cancer 16.1 and 7.99, endometrial cancer6.4 and 1.5, ovary and other gynecological cancers 6.5 and 3.8. [2]