Canine rectal tumors and the axin genes

Abstract

In colorectal tumors in humans a mutation in the APC gene causes the Wnt pathway to be stimulated. When the Wnt pathway is active, beta-catenin stabilizes and goes into the nucleus, where it stimulates the transcription of the Wnt genes. The Wnt pathway is important for normal cell renewal. In dogs, beta-catenin is also stabilized in rectal tumors, but the causing mutation hasn't been found jet. In this research the Axin1 gene of dogs was sequenced to see if it was mutated in rectal tumors. Also the expression of the genes of Axin1 and Axin2 was measured with quantitative PCR. The gene of Axin1 was not mutated. The reference genes used in the quantitative PCR didn't work correct, so a statistical analysis of the expression of Axin1 and Axin2 was not possible. Now first good reference genes will have to be found and than the Wnt genes and other Wnt factors will be measured with quantitative PCR, to get a better idea of what is causes the stabilization of beta-catenin in rectal tumor cell in dogs.