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Wnt Pathway at a Glance: From the Deep of the Crypts to the Current Ways of Targeting

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Stem Cells in Cancer: Should We Believe or Not?

Abstract

Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway is crucial for the formation of many tissues and organs during development. In recent years, this pathway has also been found to regulate the biology of stem cells in the intestine and probably in other organs in adult life. Abnormal activation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling, which controls the expression of a high number of genes, is critical for the initiation and progression of most colorectal cancers. In line with this, the gene expression signature induced by activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway defines the intestinal stem cells present at the bottom of the crypts and also colon cancer stem cells. This supports the importance of inhibitors of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway as potential agents in colorectal cancer therapy. However, the complexity, wide activity in the organism modulating the biology of several cell types, and characteristics of this pathway have delayed the identification of suitable targets and so, the development of such inhibitors that are only now reaching the clinic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols”, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28029, Madrid, Spain

    Antonio Barbáchano, María Jesús Larriba, Gemma Ferrer-Mayorga, Alberto Muñoz & José Manuel González-Sancho

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  1. Antonio Barbáchano
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  2. María Jesús Larriba
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  3. Gemma Ferrer-Mayorga
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  4. Alberto Muñoz
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  5. José Manuel González-Sancho
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Correspondence to Alberto Muñoz .

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  1. Medical Oncology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain

    Enrique Grande

  2. Medical Oncology, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain

    Luis Antón Aparicio

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Barbáchano, A., Larriba, M.J., Ferrer-Mayorga, G., Muñoz, A., González-Sancho, J.M. (2014). Wnt Pathway at a Glance: From the Deep of the Crypts to the Current Ways of Targeting. In: Grande, E., Antón Aparicio, L. (eds) Stem Cells in Cancer: Should We Believe or Not?. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8754-3_4

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