Abstract
We investigated a role for Hedgehog signalling in colon cancer by studying transcription of members of the pathway in human colorectal carcinoma cell lines. We determined the methylation status and screened the gene encoding the Hedgehog receptor-associated protein Smoothened (SMO) for putative mutations. In three cell lines lacking SMO expression the SMO promoter was fully methylated and the transcription factor GLI3 was not expressed. Two additional cell lines both having one methylated SMO allele and expressing mutant SMO did not express GLI3. Our results suggest that expression of wild-type SMO is required for expression of GLI3 by a mechanism that is independent of conventional Hedgehog signalling.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Base Sequence
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Colorectal Neoplasms / genetics*
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DNA Methylation*
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DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
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DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
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Heterozygote
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Humans
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Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Mutation / genetics*
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Nerve Tissue Proteins*
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Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational
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Promoter Regions, Genetic / genetics
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Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / genetics*
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Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Smoothened Receptor
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Transcription Factors / genetics
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Transcription Factors / metabolism*
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Tumor Cells, Cultured
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Zinc Finger Protein Gli3
Substances
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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GLI3 protein, human
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Gli3 protein, mouse
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Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors
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Nerve Tissue Proteins
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Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
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SMO protein, human
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Smo protein, mouse
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Smoothened Receptor
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Transcription Factors
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Zinc Finger Protein Gli3