Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is driven and maintained by liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) that display stem cell properties. These LCSCs are promoted by the intersecting of Notch and Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathways. In this study, we demonstrate that LCSCs with markers CD90, CD24, CD13, and CD133 possess stem properties of self-renewal and tumorigenicity in NOD/SCID mice. The increased ...

Skin pigmentation depends on cellular processes including biogenesis, transport, maturation, and transfer of melanosomes to keratinocytes. However, the mechanisms associated with fine spatial temporal controls ensure adequate remain unclear. Here, we show that a component cytoplasmic dynein complex, Dynlt3, is required for acidity regulation efficient In Mus musculus melanocytes decreased level...

b-Catenin is a multifunctional protein involved in cell adhesion and communication. In response to signaling by Wnt growth factors, bcatenin associates with nuclear TCF factors to activate target genes. A transactivation domain identified at the C-terminus of b-catenin can stimulate expression of artificial reporter genes. However, the mechanism of target gene activation by TCF/b-catenin comple...

Abstract Two major obstacles in brain cancer treatment are the blood-tumor barrier (BTB) and quiescent tumor cells. Here we show that Sox2+ cells directly project cellular processes to ensheathe capillaries medulloblastoma (MB), a process depends on mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo2. MB develops tissue stiffness gradient as function of distance capillaries. perceive substrate sustain local in...

In Xenopus laevis development, beta-catenin plays an important role in the Wnt-signaling pathway by establishing the Nieuwkoop center, which in turn leads to specification of the dorsoventral axis. Cadherins are essential for embryonic morphogenesis since they mediate calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion and can modulate beta-catenin signaling. alpha-catenin links beta-catenin to the actin-base...

BACKGROUND Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease, characterized by distorted lung architecture and loss of respiratory function. Alveolar epithelial cell injury and hyperplasia, enhanced extracellular matrix deposition, and (myo)fibroblast activation are features of IPF. Wnt/beta-catenin signaling has been shown to determine epithelial cell fate during development. As aber...

Abnormal activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling is implicated in the osteoarthritis (OA) pathology. We searched for a pre-approved drug that suppresses abnormally activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling and has a potency to reduce joint pathology in OA. We introduced the TOPFlash reporter plasmid into HCS-2/8 human chondrosarcoma cells to estimate the Wnt/β-catenin activity in the presence of 10 μ...

Wnt-β-catenin signaling participates in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in a variety of cancers; however, its involvement in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and downstream molecular events is largely undefined. HNF4α is the most prominent and specific factor maintaining the differentiation of hepatic lineage cells and a potential EMT regulator in HCC cells. However, the molecular mec...

Thyroid cancer 1 (TC-1, C8ofr4) is widely expressed in vertebrates and associated with many kinds of tumors. Previous studies indicated that TC-1 functions as a positive regulator in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its exact role and regulation mechanism in radiosensitivity of NSCLC are still unclear. The expression level of TC-1 was measured ...

In contrast to mammals, lower vertebrates have a remarkable capacity to regenerate complex structures damaged by injury or disease. This process, termed epimorphic regeneration, involves progenitor cells created through the reprogramming of differentiated cells or through the activation of resident stem cells. Wnt/beta-catenin signaling regulates progenitor cell fate and proliferation during em...