title: Wnt and Kras signaling-dark siblings in lung cancer.
abstract: Aberrant Kras signaling is observed in a high percentage of human lung cancers while activating mutations in the Wnt/b-catenin signaling pathway are only rarely found. Our recent work has shown that the combined activation of both Kras and Wnt/b-catenin signaling leads to a dramatic increase in both tumor incidence and size. Moreover, lung tumors generated by the combined activation of both of these pathways exhibit a distinct phenotype similar to embryonic progenitors found in the developing lung. Thus, combinatorial activation of Kras and Wnt/b-catenin pathways leads to a significant increase in lung tumor formation characterized by a more progenitor like phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Cardiovascular Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Eugenia C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Pacheco-Pinedo
authors.forename: Edward E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Morrisey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C117307:KRAS protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins