Project B2 (completed)

Unmasking E3 ligase-DUB pairs in colorectal cancer

Markus Diefenbacher

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death in the world, claiming nearly 700.000 lives a year (WHO report 2015). In addition to mutations in FBW7, colorectal cancers frequently harbor deletions and inactivating mutations in genes regulating the Wnt signaling pathway, including APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) and CTNNB1 (encoding β-Catenin). Project B2 aims at identifying de-ubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) targeting critical oncogenic substrates of this essential pathway and validating their potential for cancer therapy using cell culture, ex vivo organoid model systems (mouse and human) as well as in vivo model systems.