Novel mechanisms of oncogenesis: non-­‐cell autonomous involvement of stem cells, following WNT pathway over-­‐activation. BDRC Seminar, Friday 31st October, UCL Institute of Child Health Cynthia Andoniadou, King’s College London Abstract Multiple organs retain a population of tissue-­‐specific stem cells during postnatal and adult life. Often, these mostly quiescent cells can be reactivated in response to injury and have been known to contribute directly to oncogenesis, as cancer stem cells. To investigate the possible involvement of these cells in tumorigenesis, we expressed an oncogenic form of β-­‐catenin in Sox2+ cells during postnatal stages. We have studied tumour formation in two tissues, the pituitary gland and dentition, and reveal that the involvement of mutation-­‐
sustaining stem cells does not follow the cancer stem cell paradigm. Instead, we expose a paracrine role for these cells in oncogenesis, following the over-­‐
activation of the WNT pathway. Biosketch Cynthia Andoniadou studied Genetics and Microbiology at Queen Mary University of London and received her PhD from UCL for research carried out at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research under the supervision of Dr Robin Lovell-­‐Badge. Her graduate studies focused on the role of SOX2 in neural stem cells. In 2005 she moved to the Institute of Child Health, UCL, as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr Juan Pedro Martinez-­‐Barbera, where she studied the influence of WNT signalling in the developing forebrain and pituitary gland. Her work contributed to the generation of two mouse models of pituitary tumours and to the first in vivo evidence of pituitary stem cell function. Cynthia joined King’s College London in 2013 to establish her group as a Lecturer in the Division of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology. The group’s main focus is the influence of signalling pathways on the control of stem cells throughout life, using the pituitary gland as a model. She is the recipient of an MRC New Investigator Research Grant, a Society for Endocrinology Early Career Grant and a Research Grant from the Royal Society.