PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - TETYANA DENYSENKO AU - LAURA ANNOVAZZI AU - PAOLA CASSONI AU - ANTONIO MELCARNE AU - MARTA MELLAI AU - DAVIDE SCHIFFER TI - WNT/β-catenin Signaling Pathway and Downstream Modulators in Low- and High-grade Glioma DP - 2016 Jan 01 TA - Cancer Genomics - Proteomics PG - 31--45 VI - 13 IP - 1 4099 - http://cgp.iiarjournals.org/content/13/1/31.short 4100 - http://cgp.iiarjournals.org/content/13/1/31.full SO - Cancer Genomics Proteomics2016 Jan 01; 13 AB - Background: Aberrant activation of the canonical Wingless-type MMTV integration site family (WNT)/β-catenin signaling pathway is critical for gliomas. Materials and Methods: In 74 gliomas of different histological grade and in 24 glioblastoma cell lines, protein expression of WNT member 3a (WNT3a), β-catenin and transcription factor 4 (TCF4) was investigated by immunohistochemistry, western blotting, immunofluorescence and immunocytochemistry. In tumors and cell lines, WNT3A expression was assessed at the mRNA level by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: WNT3a was overexpressed at the protein and mRNA levels in malignant astrocytic tumors and cell lines. Cytoplasmic expression of β-catenin was detected in high-grade gliomas and cell lines, with evidence of nuclear translocation on fractionated protein extracts. Activating mutations in the β-catenin encoding gene (CTNNB1) were excluded by direct sequencing. TCF4 was statistically correlated with Ki-67/MIB-1 and cyclin D1 labeling indices. Conclusion: Expression of WNT3a, cytoplasmic β-catenin and TCF4 was significantly associated with the histological malignancy grade and with a worse prognosis for patients with glioma.