Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in adult mouse epidermis leads to expansion of the stem cell compartment and redirects keratinocytes in the interfollicular epidermis and sebaceous glands (SGs) to differentiate along the hair follicle (HF) lineages. Here we demonstrate that during epidermal development and homeostasis there is reciprocal activation of the androgen receptor (AR) and β-caten...

When a sperm and an oocyte unite upon fertilization, their cell membranes adhere and fuse, but little is known about the factors regulating sperm-oocyte adhesion. Here we explored the role of β-catenin in sperm-oocyte adhesion. Biochemical analysis revealed that E-cadherin and β-catenin formed a complex in oocytes and also in sperm. Sperm-oocyte adhesion was impaired when β-catenin-deficient oo...

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway critical for several biological processes. An aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signaling is linked to several human diseases. Emerging studies have highlighted the regulatory role of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in normal physiological processes of parenchymal and hematopoietic cells. Recent studies have shown that the acti...

The spatial compartmentalisation of biochemical signalling pathways is essential for cell function. Nesprins are a multi-isomeric family of proteins that have emerged as signalling scaffolds, herein, we investigate the localisation and function of novel nesprin-2 N-terminal variants. We show that these nesprin-2 variants display cell specific distribution and reside in both the cytoplasm and nu...

Androgen receptor (AR) is the major therapeutic target in aggressive prostate cancer. However, targeting AR alone can result in drug resistance and disease recurrence. Therefore, simultaneous targeting of multiple pathways could in principle be an effective approach to treating prostate cancer. Here we provide proof-of-concept that a small-molecule inhibitor of nuclear β-catenin activity (calle...

β-catenin, an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated marker, is key in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the prognostic significance of β-catenin expression in patients with CRC remains controversial. In the present study, the expression of β-catenin at the tumor invasive front and the tumor center was investigated, and the correlations amongst β-catenin different...

Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. And overnutrition is a leading cause of obesity. After most nutrients are ingested, they are absorbed in the small intestine. Signals from β-catenin are essential to maintain development of the small intestine and homeostasis. In this study, we used a hyperphagia db/db obese mouse model and a high-fat diet (HFD)-ind...

The expression of the gut tumor suppressor gene adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) and its role in the oligodendroglial lineage are poorly understood. We found that immunoreactive APC is transiently induced in the oligodendroglial lineage during both normal myelination and remyelination following toxin-induced, genetic, or autoimmune demyelination murine models. Using the Cre/loxP system to condi...

The proinflammatory cytokine interferon γ (IFNγ ) influences intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) homeostasis in a biphasic manner by acutely stimulating proliferation that is followed by sustained inhibition of proliferation despite continued mucosal injury. β-Catenin activation has been classically associated with increased IEC proliferation. However, we observed that IFNγ inhibits IEC proliferat...

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is a potent metastasis suppressor that has been demonstrated to inhibit the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by maintaining the cell-membrane localization of E-cadherin and β-catenin in prostate and colon cancer cells. However, the precise molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this investigation, ...