β-catenin and γ-catenin are dispensable for T lymphocytes and AML leukemic stem cells release_dyrviwvj7fdctgn756w7pusuby

Abstract

The β-catenin transcriptional coregulator is involved in various biological and pathological processes; however, its requirements in hematopoietic cells remain controversial. We re-targeted the <jats:italic>Ctnnb1</jats:italic> gene locus to generate a true β-catenin-null mutant mouse strain. Ablation of β-catenin alone, or in combination with its homologue γ-catenin, did not affect thymocyte maturation, survival or proliferation. Deficiency in β/γ-catenin did not detectably affect differentiation of CD4<jats:sup>+</jats:sup> T follicular helper cells or that of effector and memory CD8<jats:sup>+</jats:sup> cytotoxic cells in response to acute viral infection. In an MLL-AF9 AML mouse model, genetic deletion of β-catenin, or even all four Tcf/Lef family transcription factors that interact with β-catenin, did not affect AML onset in primary recipients, or the ability of leukemic stem cells (LSCs) in propagating AML in secondary recipients. Our data thus clarify on a long-standing controversy and indicate that β-catenin is dispensable for T cells and AML LSCs.
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