Mutations in exon 3 of the β-catenin gene are rare in melanoma cell lines

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Abstract
Mutations in exon 3 of the CTNNB1 gene encoding β-catenin have been reported in colorectal cancer cell lines and tumours. Although one study reported mutations or deletions affecting β-catenin in 20% of melanoma cell lines, subsequent reports detected a much lower frequency of aberrations in uncultured melanomas. To determine whether this difference in mutation frequency reflected an in vitro culturing artefact, exon 3 of CTNNB1 was screened in a panel of 62 melanoma cell lines. In addition, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to detect intragenic deletions affecting exon 3. One out of 62 (1.6%) cell lines was found to carry a mutation, indicating that aberration of the Wnt-1/wingless pathway through activation of β-catenin is a rare event, even in melanoma cell lines.