COPA mutations reveal alternative trigger for small intestine tumors

A signaling system known as the Wnt pathway plays a central role in how cells in the intestine grow, divide and renew themselves.

Decades of research have shown that disruption of this pathway is a defining feature of many intestinal cancers.

In particular, mutations in the APC gene—which normally acts as a brake on Wnt signaling—are widely recognized as a key initiating event in colorectal tumors. ...