Regulation of Stem Cell Traits.
adenocarcinomas
Bcl9/Bcl9l Are Critical for Wnt-Mediated Regulation of Stem Cell Traits in Colon Epithelium and Adenocarcinomas.
Canonical Wnt signaling plays a critical role in stem cell maintenance in epithelial homeostasis and carcinogenesis. the group of Prof. Michel Aguet (ISREC - Aguet lab) show that in the mouse this role is critically mediated by Bcl9/Bcl9l, the mammalian homologues of Legless, which in Drosophila is required for Armadillo/β-catenin signaling. These findings reveal an essential role for Bcl9/Bcl9l in regulating a subset of Wnt target genes involved in controlling EMT and stem cell–related features and suggest that targeting the Bcl9/Bcl9l arm of Wnt signaling in Wnt-activated cancers might attenuate these traits, which are associated with tumor invasion, metastasis, and resistance to therapy.