Interweaving the strands: β-catenin, an HIV co-receptor, and Schwann cell tumors

WNT/β-catenin signaling is critical to the development of many cancer types. A paper by Mo and colleagues in a recent issue of Cell shows that autocrine CXCL12/CXCR4 chemokine signaling activates β-catenin signaling in a rare peripheral nerve sarcoma. Together with the availability of small molecules targeting CXCR4, this finding suggests new avenues for cancer therapy.