title: The role of beta-catenin in chronic myeloproliferative disorders.
abstract: The goal of the current study is to evaluate the role of beta-catenin in chronic myeloproliferative disorders. Expression of beta-catenin was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed decalcified bone marrow biopsy specimens from 52 chronic myeloproliferative disorder cases and 6 nonchronic myeloproliferative disorder bone marrows as controls. The frequency of moderate to strong beta-catenin staining of megakaryocytes was significantly higher in polycythemia vera cases and in essential thrombocythemia cases than in chronic myelogenous leukemia cases (polycythemia vera versus chronic myelogenous leukemia, P = .002345, Fisher exact; and essential thrombocythemia versus chronic myelogenous leukemia, P = .002288), chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis cases (polycythemia vera versus chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis, P = .006707 and essential thrombocythemia versus chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis, P = .006932) or control cases (polycythemia vera versus control, P = .010489 and essential thrombocythemia versus control, P = .0113120). The erythroid and myeloid lineages showed absent to weak beta-catenin staining in most cases. In conclusion, these results indicate that the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway may have a role in megakaryocytopoiesis in polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia. In addition, beta-catenin may be a useful marker for differentiating polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia from other types of chronic myeloproliferative disorders.
authors.affiliation: Pathology, The Methodist Hospital and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Monica P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Jauregui
authors.forename: Steven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: April A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ewton
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: Sherrie L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.forename: Cherie H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Dunphy
authors.forename: Chung-Che
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D041905:Erythroid Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D022423:Myeloid Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011087:Polycythemia Vera / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D055728:Primary Myelofibrosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013920:Thrombocythemia, Essential / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin