HNF4A and colonic neoplasm: To examine the effects of heat-killed EC-12 on β-catenin signaling, TCF/LEF promoter transcriptional activity was examined using a reporter gene assay following 24 h of heat-killed EC-12 treatment (0.2, 20 ng/mL, and 2, 200 μg/mL) in human colon cancer cells HCT116 and RKO.