BACKGROUND DNA methylation of CpG islands within the promoters of specific genes may play roles in tumor initiation and progression. It has been suggested such events may serve as critical check points. METHODS The present study analyzed the methylation status of CpG islands within the promoters of secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) in 87 acute leukemia (AL) patients, 20 normal contro...

The caudomedial margin of the medial pallium, known as the cortical hem, expresses several Wnt genes that have been shown to be crucial for cortical development. We examined the expression of members of the Frizzled (mFz) family of Wnt receptors and the Secreted Frizzled Related Protein (SFRP) family of Wnt inhibitors during telencephalic development. We found that mFz-5 and mFz-8 are specifica...

BACKGROUND Secreted frizzled-related protein (SFRP) genes, new tumor suppressor genes, are negative regulators of the Wnt pathway whose alteration is associated with various tumors. In ovarian cancer, SFRPs genes promoter methylation can lead to gene inactivation. This study investigated mechanisms of SFRP and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) genes silencing in ovarian cancer infected with high...

PURPOSE We hypothesized that combined methylation analysis of Wnt antagonist genes could serve as a panel of biomarkers for diagnosis, staging, and prognosis in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Samples (n = 62) of RCC and corresponding normal renal tissue (NRT) were analyzed using methylation-specific PCR for methylation of six Wnt antagonist genes (sFRP-1, sFRP-2, sFRP-4, sFRP...

In this issue of Clinical Cancer Research , Gumz et al. report on the loss of secreted frizzled-related protein-1 (sFRP-1) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC; ref. 1). sFRP-1 is a member of a family of proteins that bind Wnts and can inhibit Wnt signaling during embryonic development and in the adult homeostasis (2, 3). Inappropriate Wnt signaling is a well-established mechanism of oncogen...

A pivotal role in guiding mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation has recently been attributed to the primary cilium. This solitary, non-motile microtubule-based organelle emerging from the cell surface acts as a sensorial membrane structure reflecting developmental and adaptive processes associated with pathologies including human cystic kidney disease, skeletal malformations, obesity and ...

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is associated with asbestos exposure. Asbestos can induce chronic inflammation which in turn can lead to silencing of tumour suppressor genes. Wnt signaling pathway can be affected by chronic inflammation and is aberrantly activated in many cancers including colon and MPM. SFRP genes are antagonists of Wnt pathway, and SFRPs are potential tumour suppressors ...

Wnts are a family of secreted proteins involved in multiple developmental mechanisms during nervous system development, including cell proliferation, cell migration, axon guidance and specification of cell positional information. We report here the expression of sFRP-1 mRNA, encoding a putative inhibitor of Wnt, in the developing mouse neocortex during the entire period when neurons for the neo...

OBJECTIVE Overload-induced heart failure is associated with myocyte apoptosis induced by unknown mechanisms. Wnt genes encode secreted signaling molecules that bind to frizzled receptors and stabilize cytosolic beta-catenin which is translocated into the nucleus, acts as transcriptional activator and imparts an apoptosis resistant phenotype. This signaling pathway is antagonized by secreted fri...