Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.10.2 (focal adhesion kinase)
44,029 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Protein kinase B or Akt (PKB/Akt) is a serine/threonine kinase, which in mammals comprises three highly homologous members known as PKBalpha (Akt1), PKBbeta (Akt2), and PKBgamma (Akt3). PKB/Akt is activated in cells exposed to diverse stimuli such as hormones, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components. The activation mechanism remains to be fully characterised but occurs downstream of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI-3K). PI-3K generates phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP(3)), a lipid second messenger essential for the translocation of PKB/Akt to the plasma membrane where it is phosphorylated and activated by phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK-1) and possibly other kinases. PKB/Akt phosphorylates and regulates the function of many cellular proteins involved in processes that include metabolism, apoptosis, and proliferation. Recent evidence indicates that PKB/Akt is frequently constitutively active in many types of human cancer. Constitutive PKB/Akt activation can occur due to amplification of PKB/Akt genes or as a result of mutations in components of the signalling pathway that activates PKB/Akt. Although the mechanisms have not yet been fully characterised, constitutive PKB/Akt signalling is believed to promote proliferation and increased cell survival and thereby contributing to cancer progression. This review surveys recent developments in understanding the mechanisms and consequences of PKB/Akt activation in human malignancy.
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PMID:The protein kinase B/Akt signalling pathway in human malignancy. 1188 83

Malignant melanoma cells show high aggressiveness and metastatic potential. Tumor cells as they become more metastatic, gradually lose their dependence on both adhesion and serum. Thus, in the process of tumor progression cells undergo series of changes that allow them to adapt to different tissue milieu. This implies that during this process, points on the integrin pathway may become constitutively activated. In the present study we investigated the possible role of FAK, being one of the key members of the integrin-signaling pathway, in the multistep progression towards a malignant phenotype in human melanoma. In our study we show that in melanoma cells there is neither an increase in the amount of FAK nor in its phosphorylation capacity, but rather in its levels of constitutive activation. Indeed, in all melanoma cells tested and not in nevus and neuroblastoma cells, we observed various degrees of constitutive activation of FAK. Our results also suggest that FAK constitutive activation is regulated at least in part by the cytoskeleton, implying that steps along the integrin signaling pathway involving FAK could be among the oncogenic mechanisms that operate in melanoma and may account for the highly aggressive, anchorage independent phenotype of this tumor.
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PMID:The focal adhesion kinase (P125FAK) is constitutively active in human malignant melanoma. 1203 79

Hamster tumor cell lines obtained with the Rous sarcoma virus and characterized by a high metastatic activity in vitro were transfected with the gene for C2+/calmodulin-dependent serine-threonine death-associated protein kinase (DAPk). Expression of DAPk in tumor cells dramatically reduced their survival in the blood of syngenic animals and their ability to produce metastases, but did not affect their tumorigenicity or the primary tumor growth. The DAPk-induced change in the metastatic phenotype was not accompanied by substantial changes in production and phosphorylation of v-Src or focal adhesion proteins (focal adhesion kinase and paxilline). The resulting system of transfected cells with a modulated metastatic potential provide a convenient model to study the molecular mechanisms of tumor progression at various steps.
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PMID:[Suppression of the metastatic potential of oncogene v-src-transformed cells as a result of activity of the exogenous DAP kinase]. 1206 33

SOCS-1 is an inducible SH2-containing inhibitor of Jak kinases and as such can potently suppress cytokine signaling. SOCS-1 deficient mice die within the first three weeks of life from a myeloproliferative disorder driven by excessive interferon signaling. We report here that SOCS-1 inhibits proliferation signals induced by a variety of oncogenes active within the hematopoietic system. Ectopic expression of SOCS-1 abolished proliferation mediated by a constitutively active form of the KIT receptor, TEL-JAK2, and v-ABL, and reduced metastasis from BCR-ABL transformed cells. SOCS-1, however, did not interfere with v-SRC or RASV12 mediated cellular transformation. A mutant form of SOCS-1 unable to bind through its SH2 domain to tyrosine phosphorylated proteins could still inhibit KIT, but not TEL-JAK2, indicating multiple mechanisms for SOCS-1-mediated tumor suppression. We show that the steady state levels of TEL-JAK2 and to a greater extent v-ABL are diminished in the presence of SOCS-1. Lastly, we show that SOCS-1 -/- fibroblasts are more sensitive than wild type fibroblasts to either spontaneous or oncogene-induced transformation. These data suggest that loss-of-function of SOCS-1 may collaborate with a variety of hematopoietic oncogenes to facilitate tumor progression.
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PMID:The tumor suppressor activity of SOCS-1. 1208 Apr 66

Tumor invasion marks a critical point in cancer progression; it is a harbinger of morbidity and mortality. Thus, the cellular events that enable the invasive phenotype are under intense investigation. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with a number of cancers, including Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and is suspected to contribute to their tumorigenesis. On average, 8% of gastric carcinomas have been shown to carry this virus. To explore whether the presence of EBV in gastric carcinoma contributes to tumor progression in this predominantly invasive carcinoma, we examined a panel of 2 in vitro EBV-infected human gastric cancer cell line sublines and their mock-infected AGS parental control line. We found EBV infection caused a marked increase in transmigration of a Matrigel barrier (415% and 303%, p < 0.05, for the 2 infected lines). This correlated with increased motility of these sublines (233% and 140%, p < 0.05). As this pattern of increased motility leading to a more pronounced enhancement of invasion has been noted in other tumor cells, we explored the roles of autocrine signaling pathways previously implicated in carcinoma motility and invasion. Inhibitors to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (PD153035), phospholipase C (PLC) (U73122), extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) (PD089035) and PI-3 kinase (Wortmannin) were not informative. These data suggest that EBV increases migration of AGS cells by a mechanism independent of these autocrine growth factor-induced pathways. Instead, we found that the EBV-infected cells presented increased focal adhesion kinase (FAK) phosphorylation. These findings suggest a role for integrin-mediated signaling in promoting EBV-associated invasiveness.
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PMID:EBV-expressing AGS gastric carcinoma cell sublines present increased motility and invasiveness. 1211 96

Morphine is used to treat pain in several medical conditions including cancer. Here we show that morphine, in a concentration typical of that observed in patients' blood, stimulates human microvascular endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. It does so by activating mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation via Gi/Go-coupled G protein receptors and nitric oxide in these microvascular endothelial cells. Other contributing effects of morphine include activation of the survival signal PKB/Akt, inhibition of apoptosis, and promotion of cell cycle progression by increasing cyclin D1. Consistent with these effects, morphine in clinically relevant doses promotes tumor neovascularization in a human breast tumor xenograft model in mice leading to increased tumor progression. These results indicate that clinical use of morphine could potentially be harmful in patients with angiogenesis-dependent cancers.
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PMID:Morphine stimulates angiogenesis by activating proangiogenic and survival-promoting signaling and promotes breast tumor growth. 1215 60

Protein kinase B (PKB, also called Akt) is an important regulator of cell proliferation and survival. Amplification of genes encoding PKB isoforms has been found in several types of human cancers. In addition, mutations in the phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN), one of the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor genes, results in elevated PKB activity. PKB has a wide range of cellular targets, and the oncogenicity of PKB arises from activation of both proliferative and anti-apoptotic signaling. Furthermore, PKB contributes to tumor progression by promoting cell invasiveness and angiogenesis. These observations establish PKB as an attractive target for cancer therapy. A cellular inhibitor of PKB, termed carboxyl-terminal modulator protein, reverts the phenotype of viral akt-transformed cells, suggesting that a specific PKB inhibitor will be useful in the treatment of tumors with elevated PKB activity. Since inhibition of PKB activity induces apoptosis in a range of mammalian cells, a PKB inhibitor may be effective, in combination with other anticancer drugs, for the treatment of tumors with other mutations.
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PMID:Inhibition of protein kinase B/Akt. implications for cancer therapy. 1219 16

Progranulin (pgrn; PC-cell-derived growth factor, epithelin precursor, or acrogranin) has been identified recently as an autocrine regulator of tumorigenesis in several cancer cells including SW-13 adrenal carcinomas and some breast cancers, but how pgrn promotes tumor progression is not well understood. SW-13 cells do not form tumors in nude mice but become highly tumorigenic when their pgrn expression is elevated, and this provides a useful model in which to investigate the role of pgrn in tumorigenesis. Here we show that, in SW-13 cells, the level of pgrn expression is a major determinant of the intrinsic activity of the mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase, and focal adhesion kinase signaling pathways. Pgrn stimulates the invasion of SW-13 cells across Matrigel-coated filters, increases the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 13 and 17, protects against anoikis, and overcomes the inhibition of cell growth imposed on SW-13 cells by interstitial type-I collagen. Inhibition of the mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase signaling pathways impairs each of the pgrn-dependent biological responses tested, but to different extents. The ability of pgrn to stimulate cell division, invasion, and survival demonstrates that pgrn regulates multiple steps in carcinomal progression, and suggests that the pgrn system may be a possible future therapeutic target.
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PMID:Progranulin (PC-cell-derived growth factor/acrogranin) regulates invasion and cell survival. 1235 72

Bile acids are implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis as evidenced by epidemiological and experimental studies. We examined whether bile acids stimulate cellular invasion of human colorectal and dog kidney epithelial cells at different stages of tumor progression. Colon PC/AA/C1, PCmsrc, and HCT-8/E11 cells and kidney MDCKT23 cells were seeded on top of collagen type I gels and invasive cells were counted after 24 h incubation. Activation of the Rac1 and RhoA small GTPases was investigated by pull-down assays. Haptotaxis was analysed with modified Boyden chambers. Lithocholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, cholic acid and deoxycholic acid stimulated cellular invasion of SRC- and RhoA-transformed PCmsrc and MDCKT23-RhoAV14 cells, and of HCT-8/E11 cells originating from a sporadic tumor, but were ineffective in premalignant PC/AA/C1 and MDCKT23 cells. Bile acid-stimulated invasion occurred through stimulation of haptotaxis and was dependent on the RhoA/Rho-kinase pathway and signaling cascades using protein kinase C, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and cyclooxygenase-2. Accordingly, BA-induced invasion was associated with activation of the Rac1 and RhoA GTPases and expression of the farnesoid X receptor. We conclude that bile acids stimulate invasion and haptotaxis in colorectal cancer cells via several cancer invasion signaling pathways.
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PMID:Bile acids stimulate invasion and haptotaxis in human colorectal cancer cells through activation of multiple oncogenic signaling pathways. 1236 Apr 1

Flavonoids, such as daidzein and genistein, present in dietary plants like soybean, have unique chemical properties with biological activity relevant to cancer. Many flavonoids and polyphenols, including resveratrol in red wine and epigallocatechin gallate in green tea, are known antioxidants. Some of these compounds have estrogenic (and antiestrogenic) activity and are commonly referred to as phytoestrogens. A yeast-based estrogen receptor (ER) reporter assay has been used to measure the ability of flavonoids to bind to ER and activate estrogen responsive genes. Recently, estrogenic compounds were also shown to trigger rapid, nongenomic effects. The molecular mechanisms, however, have not been completely detailed and little information exists regarding their relevance to cancer progression. As a preliminary step toward elucidating rapid phytoestrogen action on breast cancer cells, we investigated the effect of 17-beta estradiol (E2), genistein, daidzein and resveratrol on the activation status of signaling proteins that regulate cell survival and invasion, the cell properties underlying breast cancer progression. The effect of these estrogenic compounds on the activation, via phosphorylation, of Akt/protein kinase B (Akt) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) were analyzed in ER-positive and -negative human breast cancer cell lines. E2, genistein and daidzein increased whereas resveratrol decreased both Akt and FAK phosphorylation in nonmetastatic ER-positive T47D cells. In metastatic ER-negative MDA-MB-231 cells, all estrogenic compounds tested increased Akt and FAK phosphorylation. The inhibitory action of resveratrol on cell survival and proliferation is ER dependent. Therefore, all estrogenic compounds tested, including resveratrol, may exert supplementary ER-independent nongenomic effects on cell survival and migration in breast cancer cells.
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PMID:Flavonoid effects relevant to cancer. 1242 74


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