Activation of the Canonical Wnt/beta-Catenin Signalling Pathway is Rare in Canine Malignant Melanoma Tissue and Cell Lines

摘要

Canine malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive tumour associated with a poor overall survival rate due to both local disease recurrence and its highly metastatic nature. Similar to advanced melanoma in man, canine oral melanoma is poorly responsiveto conventional anti-cancer therapies. The lack of sustainable disease control warrants investigation of novel therapies, preferably targeting features specific to the tumour and different from normal cells. The Wnt signalling pathway is known to contribute to melanocytic lineage development in vertebrates and perturbation of the Wnt/3-catenin pathway has been implicated in numerous cancer types. Alterations of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway are suggested to occur in a subset of human melanomas, althoughthe precise role of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in melanoma is yet to be defined. This study investigates the activation status of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in canine malignant melanoma and its potential as a therapeutic target for treatingthis disease. The data indicate that canonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway activation is a rare event in canine oral malignant melanoma tissue and canine malignant melanoma cell lines.