Colorectal cancer: the APC-lncRNA link.

The adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene plays, among other things, a crucial role in the regulation of cell proliferation and survival through its ability to regulate canonical Wnt signaling. In this issue of the JCI, Wang et al. provide an intriguing new mechanism for APC function involving the regulation of a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), leading to changes in exosome production. APC signaling via this novel pathway can regulate cell proliferation and invasion as well as angiogenesis. In addition to enhancing our understanding of APC function, this new mechanism is of particular clinical significance, as it may provide additional targets for the treatment of APC-mutated cancers.