T-cell factor-4 frameshift mutations occur frequently in human microsatellite instability-high colorectal carcinomas but do not contribute to carcinogenesis.

Colorectal carcinomas with microsatellite instability accumulate errors in short repetitive DNA repeats, especially mono and dinucleotide repeats. One such error-prone A(9) monorepeat is found in exon 17 of the TCF-4 gene. TCF-4 and beta-catenin form a transcription complex, which is important for both maintenance of normal epithelium and development of colorectal tumors. To elucidate the relevance of frameshift mutations in the TCF-4 in colorectal carcinogenesis, a variety of investigations in human tumors and cell lines was performed. It was found that mutations in the TCF-4 A(9) repeat do not contribute to tumorigenesis and seem to be passenger mutations.