Interactions between BMP and Wnt signaling pathways in mammalian cancers

The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and Wnt signaling pathways have been extensively studied in the regulation of early embryonic development and in the control of cell proliferation in adult tissues. Genetic interaction between these highly conserved and ubiquitous signaling pathways has been observed in multiple settings in fruit flies, amphibians, zebrafish, and mammals. While the importance of Wnt signaling in carcinogenesis has been well established, more recent work has also implicated BMP signaling in apoptosis and as a negative regulator of proliferation. In this issue of Cancer Biology & Therapy, Nishanian et al. extend these studies and propose interesting potential interactions between BMP and Wnt signaling in transformed mammalian cells that could have important implications for the control of human cancers.