1. ¹Departments of Oncology and Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, Canada
2. ²London Regional Cancer Centre, 790 Commissioner's Road East, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 4L6
3. ³Program in Developmental Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8
4. ⁴MGC-Human and Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Wassenaarseweg 72, 2333AL Leiden, Netherland
5. ⁵Department of Surgery and Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8

Correspondence: BA Alman, Program in Developmental Biology and Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8. E-mail: benjamin.alman@sickkids.ca

Received 24 March 2003; Revised 11 May 2003; Accepted 17 May 2003.

Abstract

Aggressive fibromatosis (desmoid tumor) is a locally invasive soft tissue neoplasm associated with mutations resulting in -catenin-mediated transcriptional activation. This tumor is composed of cells with histological and molecular characteristics common to proliferating mesenchymal cells of dermal wounds. Using immunohistochemistry and RT–PCR, we show that Rhamm, a protein with an important role in wound healing and neoplastic progression, is also expressed at high levels in aggressive fibromatosis. A mouse harboring a targeted deletion in Rhamm was generated, resulting in viable Rhamm-/- animals. Rhamm-/- mice were crossed with Apc/Apc1638N mice, which harbor a targeted mutation in the Apc gene predisposing animals to gastrointestinal and aggressive fibromatosis tumors. Rhamm deficiency significantly decreased the number of aggressive fibromatosis tumors formed, but did not alter the number of gastrointestinal polyps. Cell culture studies show that Rhamm regulates cell proliferation in both fibroblasts and fibromatosis cells under conditions of low density, but not high density. These results suggest that Rhamm regulates proliferation of cells with sparse cell–cell contacts, such as occurs in aggressive fibromatosis; provides the first genetic evidence implicating Rhamm in tumor pathology; and suggest Rhamm blockade as a potential therapeutic target for this otherwise difficult-to-treat neoplasm.