Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 10, 2026

Induction and Analysis of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition
Published on: August 27, 2013
Gene expression and pathway analysis of CTNNB1 in cancer and stem cells
Shihori Tanabe1, Takeshi Kawabata1, Kazuhiko Aoyagi1
1Shihori Tanabe, Division of Risk Assessment, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
Aim:
To investigate β-catenin (CTNNB1) signaling in cancer and stem cells, the gene expression and pathway were analyzed using bioinformatics.
Methods:
The expression of the catenin β 1 (CTNNB1) gene, which codes for β-catenin, was analyzed in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and gastric cancer (GC) cells. Beta-catenin signaling and the mutation of related proteins were also analyzed using the cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics and HOMology modeling of Complex Structure (HOMCOS) databases.
Results:
The expression of the CTNNB1 gene was up-regulated in GC cells compared to MSCs. The expression of EPH receptor A8 (EPHA8), synovial sarcoma translocation chromosome 18 (SS18), interactor of little elongation complex ELL subunit 1 (ICE1), patched 1 (PTCH1), mutS homolog 3 (MSH3) and caspase recruitment domain family member 11 (CARD11) were also shown to be altered in GC cells in the cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics analysis. 3D complex structures were reported for E-cadherin 1 (CDH1), lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 (LEF1), transcription factor 7 like 2 (TCF7L2) and adenomatous polyposis coli protein (APC) with β-catenin.
Conclusion:
The results indicate that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related gene CTNNB1 plays an important role in the regulation of stem cell pluripotency and cancer signaling.
Related Concept Videos
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...

