%0 Journal Article
%T Analysis of molecular aberrations of Wnt pathway gladiators in colorectal cancer in the Kashmiri population
%A A Sameer
%A Zaffar A Shah
%A Safiya Abdullah
%A Nissar A Chowdri
%A Mushtaq A Siddiqi
%J Human Genomics
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1479-7364-5-5-441
%X Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, and the third most common malignancy in the world [1]. The incidence of this malignancy shows considerable variation among racially or ethnically defined populations in multiracial/ethnic countries. It is the fourth most common cancer in men and the third most common in women worldwide [1]. Kashmir has been reported as being a high-incidence area for gastrointestinal (GIT) cancers [2,3]. In the Kashmir valley, CRC represents the third most common GIT cancer after oesophageal and gastric cancer [4,5].It has been suggested that CRC is a multi-step process which arises from cumulative aberrations of a number of different genes (including tumour suppressor genes, proto-oncogenes, DNA repair genes, the genes encoding growth factors and their receptors, cell cycle checkpoint genes and apoptosis-related genes) or from epigenetic changes in DNA at different stages of development and progression [6,7]. It is believed that mutations in the gene encoding adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) or that encoding ¦Â-catenin set the stage for the initiation and transformation of normal colonic epithelial cells. Further accumulation of mutations in other genes then contributes to the progression of cancer through adenoma - carcinoma - metastasis stages. The generally accepted model of CRC tumorigenesis for the majority of tumours has been a stepwise progression, in which mutations in APC are followed by several other mutations, including alterations in the genes encoding Kirsten ras (K-ras) and tumour protein 53 (TP53) [6-8]. During the accumulation of genetic changes, a complex signalling network is established among inactivated and activated cellular pathways [9].The Wnt pathway regulates cell adhesion, morphology, proliferation, migration and structural remodelling [9,10] and plays an important role in a variety of cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, survival, apoptosis and cell motility [11].
%K Wnt pathway
%K APC
%K ¦Â-catenin
%K colorectal cancer
%K Kashmir
%K hypermethylation
%K mutations
%K Dukes' stage
%U http://www.humgenomics.com/content/5/5/441