TY - JOUR
T1 - Frequent β-catenin overexpression without exon 3 mutation in cutaneous lymphomas
AU - Bellei, Barbara
AU - Pacchiarotti, Alberto
AU - Perez, Marie
AU - Faraggiana, Tullio
PY - 2004/10
Y1 - 2004/10
N2 - β-Catenin is a ubiquitously cytoplasmic protein that has a critical role in embryonic development and mature tissue homeostasis through its effects on E-cadherin-mediated cell adhesion and Wnt-dependent signal transduction. Mutations that alter specific β-catenin residues important for GSK-3β phosphorylation, or increase the half-life of the protein, were identified in human cancer. However, the role of the Wnt pathway in B- and T-cell oncogenesis has not been extensively investigated. To assess the role of β-catenin defects in primary cutaneous lymphomas, we examined the expression pattern and the genetic alteration of β-catenin on 79 samples from 74 patients with primary cutaneous lymphomas from B- and T-cell origin. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed β-catenin deregulation in five primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (21%) and in 21 primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (42%) without nuclear accumulation suggesting that activation and accumulation of β-catenin may play an important role in the development of skin lymphomas. Mutation analysis of β-catenin exon 3, which included the responsible element for Wnt signaling, was therefore done in 19 samples. However, genetic alterations of β-catenin exon 3 were not detected in any of these cases suggesting that other regulatory mechanisms may be relevant in activating β-catenin signaling in cutaneous lymphomas.
AB - β-Catenin is a ubiquitously cytoplasmic protein that has a critical role in embryonic development and mature tissue homeostasis through its effects on E-cadherin-mediated cell adhesion and Wnt-dependent signal transduction. Mutations that alter specific β-catenin residues important for GSK-3β phosphorylation, or increase the half-life of the protein, were identified in human cancer. However, the role of the Wnt pathway in B- and T-cell oncogenesis has not been extensively investigated. To assess the role of β-catenin defects in primary cutaneous lymphomas, we examined the expression pattern and the genetic alteration of β-catenin on 79 samples from 74 patients with primary cutaneous lymphomas from B- and T-cell origin. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed β-catenin deregulation in five primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (21%) and in 21 primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (42%) without nuclear accumulation suggesting that activation and accumulation of β-catenin may play an important role in the development of skin lymphomas. Mutation analysis of β-catenin exon 3, which included the responsible element for Wnt signaling, was therefore done in 19 samples. However, genetic alterations of β-catenin exon 3 were not detected in any of these cases suggesting that other regulatory mechanisms may be relevant in activating β-catenin signaling in cutaneous lymphomas.
KW - β-catenin
KW - Cutaneous lymphomas
KW - Immunohistochemistry
KW - Mutations
KW - PCR-SSCP
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=4744374359&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/modpathol.3800181
DO - 10.1038/modpathol.3800181
M3 - Article
C2 - 15195109
AN - SCOPUS:4744374359
VL - 17
SP - 1275
EP - 1281
JO - Modern Pathology
JF - Modern Pathology
SN - 0893-3952
IS - 10
ER -