Aberrant activation of the canonical Wnt signal transduction pathway is involved in a large number of human diseases. β-catenin, the key effector protein of the canonical Wnt pathway, functions in the nucleus with T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor (TCF/LEF) to activate expression of Wnt target genes. Here we show that members of the 14-3-3 protein family bind disheveled-2 (Dvl-2) and glycogen synthase-3β (GSK-3β) to attenuate the interaction between GSK-3β and β-catenin. Importantly, 14-3-3 and β-catenin form "bleb-like" structures and are secreted via extracellular vesicles to induce Wnt signaling activity in target cells. Our data suggest a novel way of transducing the oncogenic Wnt signal in which β-catenin is regulated by 14-3-3ζ through the formation of "oncosomes" that contain both the 14-3-3 and β-catenin proteins.

Germline mutations in DNA mismatch repair (DNA-MMR) genes, mainly hMlh1 and hMsh2, underlie Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC). Germline hMSH6 gene mutations have been reported in a small subset of HNPCC families. In the present study, ethnically diverse individuals with HNPCC and HNPCC-like features were genotyped for hMsh6 germline mutations using exon-specific PCR, DGGE, and DNA sequencing. The study encompassed 92 individuals representing 88 unrelated families who were previously analyzed for Msh2 and Mlh1 mutations: Jewish Ashkenazim (n = 44), non-Ashkenazim (n = 27), Israeli Moslem-Arab (n = 15), Druze (n=3), and Cypriot non-Jews (n = 3). Of the study population, 71 had colon cancer (CRC), mean age at diagnosis was 50.9+/-13.2 years (range 16-73 years), 5 had endometrial cancer (two with concurrent CRC), (mean 43.6+/-3.26 years, range 38-45 years), and unaffected individuals (n = 18) were first degree relatives within HNPCC families and were genotyped at a mean age of 48.3+/-11.7 years (range 30-69 years). Of the 92 individuals analyzed, none showed a truncating hMsh6 mutation, and 6 (6.6%) harbored one of three germline missense mutations: a previously reported one (V878A), and two novel mutations (V509A, S227I). The pathogenic significance of these three missense mutations is yet unclear. In addition, 5 polymorphisms were detected, 2 of which were novel. We conclude that the rate of pathogenic hMsh6 mutations in HNPCC families of Jewish and Mediterranean origin is low, and that mutations in other genes probably account for the phenotype in these families.