Seminar

Wnt and HH in colon cancer and metastases

Ariel Ruiz i Altaba, PhD

Whereas many types of local tumors, such as colon cancers, can be successfully treated, their metastases remain largely incurable. Colon cancer has been described as a tumor type arising from and depending on deregulated WNT-TCF signaling. However, we have recently shown that this tumor type requires SHH-GLI activity and that downregulation of canonical WNT signaling occurs in metastatic tumors. We propose that downregulation of WNT-TCF activity is required for metastastic progression. These and other results addressing the mechanisms of colon cancer metastases will be discussed.