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Cytoskeleton out of the cupboard: colon cancer and cytoskeletal changes induced by loss of APC

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 6, pages 967–974 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Mutation of APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) is a common factor in most colorectal cancers. APC has many functions, the most prominent is its capacity to regulate β-catenin-mediated gene transcription in response to Wnt signalling. Loss of APC leads to deregulated β-catenin and this is intimately linked with tumour formation. However, recent evidence indicates that the interaction of APC with the cytoskeleton might also contribute to tumour initiation and progression. How does APC interact with the cytoskeleton and how could this play a part in colorectal tumorigenesis?

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Figure 1: Wnt signalling is mediated by APC and results in the activation of target genes that regulate differentiation and proliferation.
Figure 2: Cytoskeletal proteins in gut epithelium.
Figure 3: The APC molecule and sites of mutations found in tumours.
Figure 4: Possible contribution for cytoskeletal changes incurred by loss of APC to tumour formation and progression in the gut.

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Acknowledgements

I thank all members of my laboratory and A. Müller (University of Dundee) for their constructive comments on the manuscript, with particular thanks to P. Appleton (Näthke laboratory) for creating the images shown in Figure 2. I am grateful to O. Sansom (Beatson Institute) and K. Haigis (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for helpful discussions. Work in my laboratory is funded by grants from Cancer Research UK, the Association for International Research, The Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and the Human Frontiers Science Programme.

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    Inke Näthke

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Näthke, I. Cytoskeleton out of the cupboard: colon cancer and cytoskeletal changes induced by loss of APC. Nat Rev Cancer 6, 967–974 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc2010

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