Bruton's tyrosine kinase revealed as a negative regulator of Wnt-beta-catenin signaling

Sci Signal. 2009 May 26;2(72):ra25. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.2000230.

Abstract

Wnts are secreted ligands that activate several receptor-mediated signal transduction cascades. Homeostatic Wnt signaling through beta-catenin is required in adults, because either elevation or attenuation of beta-catenin function has been linked to diverse diseases. To contribute to the identification of both protein and pharmacological regulators of this pathway, we describe a combinatorial screen that merged data from a high-throughput screen of known bioactive compounds with an independent focused small interfering RNA screen. Each screen independently revealed Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) as an inhibitor of Wnt-beta-catenin signaling. Loss of BTK function in human colorectal cancer cells, human B cells, zebrafish embryos, and cells derived from X-linked agammaglobulinemia patients with a mutant BTK gene resulted in elevated Wnt-beta-catenin signaling, confirming that BTK acts as a negative regulator of this pathway. From affinity purification-mass spectrometry and biochemical binding studies, we found that BTK directly interacts with a nuclear component of Wnt-beta-catenin signaling, CDC73. Further, we show that BTK increased the abundance of CDC73 in the absence of stimulation and that CDC73 acted as a repressor of beta-catenin-mediated transcription in human colorectal cancer cells and B cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase
  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Chromatography, Affinity
  • Humans
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / isolation & purification
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Wnt Proteins / metabolism*
  • beta Catenin / metabolism*

Substances

  • Wnt Proteins
  • beta Catenin
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase
  • BTK protein, human