Altered expression of beta-catenin during radiation-induced colonic carcinogenesis

Radiotherapy for malignant pelvic disease is commonly accompanied by treatment-induced proctitis, and rarely by colorectal cancer. Translocation of the beta-catenin protein, which is a key downstream effector of the Wnt signal transduction pathway, is frequently found in colorectal cancer. Nuclear beta-catenin enhances transcriptional activity of the cyclin D1 gene in cancer cells. Here, we evaluate the involvement of the Wnt pathway in radiation-induced colon carcinogenesis with rats (n = 36). Beta-catenin, APC, and cyclin D1 expression profiles were analyzed by immunohistochemistry in radiation-induced chronic colon injury including cancers and ulcerative lesions in rats (n = 12 in treated group, n = 12 in control group). In total, 3 cases of invasive adenocarcinomas were developed in the irradiated portion 50 weeks after a single dose of 36 Gy irradiation. Nuclear translocation of beta-catenin was observed in all radiation-induced colon cancers, whereas this protein was also found in the cytoplasm and/or nucleus of 9 cases of non-neoplastic irradiated colonocytes. Nuclear translocation of beta-catenin correlated with loss of APC and gain of cyclin D1 expression, suggesting activation of the Wnt pathway during radiation-induced colorectal carcinogenesis. A single dose of 10 Gy was also given for acute injury (n = 12: 3 each in days 0, 3, 5, and 7, respectively). Beta-catenin expression was distributed in the cytoplasm of degenerating glands at day 3 and 5, and was observed in the cell membrane of those glands with histological normalization at day 7 after irradiation. Because translocation of beta-catenin was found in irradiated-colonic mucosa as well as colon cancer, disruption of beta-catenin expression might be one of the early events in radiation-induced colonic carcinogenesis.