The Canonical Wnt Pathway Regulates the Metastasis-Promoting Mucin MUC4 in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Aberrant Wnt signaling frequently occurs in pancreatic cancer (PC) and contributes to disease progression/metastases. Likewise, the transmembrane-mucin MUC4 is expressed de novo in early pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanINs) and incrementally increases with PC progression, contributing to metastasis. To determine the mechanism of MUC4 upregulation in PC, we examined factors deregulated in early PC progression, such as Wnt/β-catenin signaling. MUC4 promoter analysis revealed the presence of three putative TCF/LEF-binding sites, leading us to hypothesize that MUC4 can be regulated by β-catenin.

Source: Molecular Oncology - October 19, 2015 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Priya Pai, Satyanarayana Rachagani, Imayavaramban Lakshmanan, Muzafar A. Macha, Yuri Sheinin, Lynette M. Smith, Moorthy P. Ponnusamy, Surinder K. Batra Source Type: research