The adenomatous polyposis coli gene and human cancers

The APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) gene was isolated as a gene responsible for familial polyposis coli, an autosomal-dominant disease, characterized by development of hundreds to thousands of adenomatous polyps in the colon and rectum. However, recent studies revealed that inactivation of the APC gene also plays a significant role in development of sporadic forms of colorectal adenoma and carcinoma. Furthermore, somatic mutations have also been detected in pancreatic carcinomas as well as some type of gastric carcinomas, suggesting that APC has a critical function in regulation of cell growth in digestive tissues.