Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade: A promising target for glioma therapy

Abstract

Glioma is one of the most treatment-refractory intracranial tumors, and the aberrant expressed Wnt/β-catenin pathway is closely associated with glioma malignancy. In this regard, Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been reported to play an essential role in cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis, therefore contributing to glioma progression. However, the underlying mechanisms of Wnt/β-catenin signaling involvement in gliomagenesis remain unknown. Here, we present an overview of the Wnt components and then go on to summarize the current knowledge describing the multitude of roles of Wnt/β-catenin in glioma, which are mediated by transcription factors, microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and so on. In the latter portion of the review, we elaborate the increasing apparent crosstalk of Wnt/β-catenin pathway with PI3K/AKT signaling involved in these processes. Ultimately, compounds targeting the Wnt/β-catenin are described in glioma. As better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms to glioma malignancies increases, Wnt/β-catenin cascade may represent an area of developmental glioma therapeutics focus.

Keywords: Wnt/β-catenin signaling; glioma; invasion; proliferation; tumorigenicity.