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)

The onset of accelerated phase or blast crisis of chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) is usually associated with the acquisition of new chromosome abnormalities in addition to the t(9;22)(q34;q11) that is characteristic of the chronic phase CML. We describe the cytogenetic and molecular genetic findings in two cases of myelocytic blast crisis of CML, one occurring 6 months after commencing treatment with the ABL-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate (STI571, Glivec, or Gleevec) and the second treated with imatinib mesylate for established blast crisis. In both cases, multiple secondary cytogenetic abnormalities were observed at transformation, with homogeneously staining regions that were shown to contain BCR/ABL amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization appearing after imatinib mesylate administration. BCR/ABL amplification is emerging as an important mechanism of acquired resistance to imatinib mesylate.
...
PMID:BCR/ABL amplification in chronic myelocytic leukemia blast crisis following imatinib mesylate administration. 1254 54

Because conventional chemotherapy is not specific for cancer cells leading to toxic side effects there is a need for novel agents with high grade antitumor specificity. The major prerequisite to develop such drugs is to understand the targets that these agents should attack. In recent years a number of promising new anticancer drugs have been developed which target intracellular pathways or extracellular cell molecules. The clinically most effective compounds function as tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In the past, various tyrosine kinase receptors have been identified as regulators of tumor or tumor vessel growth. Having shown their expression characteristics in different tumor entities, specific inhibitors of the ATP binding sites of these receptors or antibodies were developed and entered clinical trials. The pathognomonic role of the tyrosine kinase defines the way of action of the inhibiting drug, whereas the amount of expression in tumor tissue defines the rationale to use the inhibitor to treat a specific protein. The future will define indications for such drugs by tumor kinase profiles instead of tumor entities. Gleevec, inhibiting the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase; Iressa, inhibiting the EGF-receptor tyrosine kinase; Herceptin, inhibiting the Her2/neu tyrosine kinase and PTK787/ZK222584, inhibiting the VEGF-receptor tyrosine kinase will be discussed as representatives of selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors whereas ZD6474 and SU6668 will be discussed as representatives of multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
...
PMID:Receptor tyrosine kinases: the main targets for new anticancer therapy. 1255 64

Imatinib mesylate (STI571, Gleevec, Glivec, a selective inhibitor of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase causative of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), represents the paradigm of how a better understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms of a neoplastic disease can lead to the development of a targeted molecular therapy. Phase II clinical trials have shown marked therapeutic activity of imatinib in all evolutive phases of CML, but notably in the chronic phase, where it induces complete hematological responses in almost 100% of patients resistant or intolerant to interferon, with a major cytogenetic response rate of 60%, including 41% complete cytogenetic responses. The preliminary results of an ongoing phase III multicenter randomized study comparing imatinib with interferon plus cytarabine as first-line treatment for CML favor imatinib in terms of efficacy and safety. If confirmed with longer follow-up,these results would establish imatinib as the choice therapy for the majority of CML patients, with allogeneic transplantation being restricted as initial therapy only to younger patients with a family donor. Longer follow-up will answer some questions, such as those on long-term safety, durability of the responses, whether these will translate into a survival prolongation and the possibility of molecular responses. In addition, further information on the mechanisms involved in the primary and acquired resistance to imatinib is needed. Besides the Bcr-Abl protein, the drug is also active against other tyrosine kinases, such as Abl, the stem-cell factor receptor (c-kit) and the platelet-derived growth factor receptor, whose inhibition might have potential implications for the treatment of several malignancies. In this sense, it must be pointed out that imatinib has shown a remarkable activity in gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
...
PMID:Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec, Glivec): a new therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia and other malignancies. 1258 48

Imatinib mesylate, a specific inhibitor of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, has been very effective in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase with high rates of hematological and cytogenetic remissions. Resistance to therapy can develop and transformation to blast crisis may occur, particularly in patients without a cytogenetic response. We report a case of a patient with CML treated in chronic phase who developed blast crisis; withdrawal of imatinib mesylate resulted in spontaneous reversion to chronic phase.
...
PMID:Spontaneous reversion from blast to chronic phase after withdrawal of imatinib mesylate in a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia. 1261 34

Until recently, progress in the treatment of patients with Ph(+) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) has been limited, and long-term survival, even with high-dose intensified chemotherapy, is rare. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is potentially curative, but treatment-related mortality and rate of disease recurrence are substantial. With the advent of the ABL-selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 (imatinib mesylate, Glivec), it has become apparent that the understanding of crucial leukaemogenic pathways at the molecular level can lead to the development of specific and selective agents. In recent clinical trials, imatinib has demonstrated significant anti-leukaemic efficacy in patients with advanced Ph(+) ALL, in conjunction with a remarkably favourable safety profile. Clinical resistance to imatinib develops rapidly, highlighting the limitations of using imatinib as a single agent; however, the value of imatinib as an element of treatment has become apparent. Resistance mechanisms have already been identified that will enable the development of rational strategies to prevent or overcome resistance. On the basis of available clinical results, combinations of imatinib with established anti-leukaemic agents, as well as with novel, molecularly targeted treatment modalities, will need to be evaluated in advanced Ph(+) ALL. Incorporation of imatinib in the first-line treatment of de novo Ph(+) ALL and in the setting of minimal residual disease is a promising therapeutic approach which is currently being studied in clinical trials. Better understanding of targeted therapies, including strategies based on recruitment of host immune functions, as well as the prudent use of active chemotherapy agents, may eventually improve the outlook for patients with Ph(+) ALL.
...
PMID:Imatinib in the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: current status and evolving concepts. 1261 75

The effect of 2-methoxyestradiol, 2ME2, an endogenous metabolite of 17beta-estradiol (E2), on cell growth and cytoskeletal functions in a BCR-ABL-transformed cell line model was investigated. We determined the interaction of 2ME2 with STI571 (Gleevec, imatinib mesylate) in STI571 drug-sensitive and -resistant cell lines. In cells expressing BCR-ABL, STI571 cooperated with 2ME2 in reducing cell growth, and STI571-resistant cells were sensitive to 2ME2 treatment. 2ME2 also inhibited growth of several cancer cell lines by a mechanism independent of BCR-ABL. BCR-ABL transformation leads to altered motility, increased adhesion, and spontaneous migration in different in vitro model systems. 2ME2 was found to specifically inhibit the spontaneous motility of BCRABL-transformed Ba/F3 cells and to change the morphology and volume of treated cells. Cells attached to fibronectin-coated surfaces showed a reduced number of filipodia and lamellipodia. In addition, 2ME2 significantly reduced BCRABL-mediated adhesion to fibronectin. The spontaneous migration of BCR-ABL-transformed cells through a transwell membrane also was found to be significantly decreased by 2ME2. Cytoskeletal changes were accompanied by alteration of tubulin formation, distinct from paclitaxel treatment. These results demonstrate that 2ME2 treatment of transformed cells strongly reduces cytoskeletal functions and may also be useful for the treatment of cancers with high metastatic potential. Combination of 2ME2 with other anticancer drugs may be beneficial to treatment of drug-resistant cancers.
...
PMID:2-methoxyestradiol alters cell motility, migration, and adhesion. 1263 35

Imatinib mesylate, an Abl-specific kinase inhibitor, produces sustained complete hematologic responses (CHR) and major cytogenetic responses (MCR) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients, but long-term outcomes in these patients are not yet known. This article reports the identification of clonal abnormalities in cells lacking detectable Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome/BCR-ABL rearrangements from seven patients with chronic- or accelerated-phase CML, who were treated with imatinib. All seven patients were refractory or intolerant to interferon therapy. Six of seven patients demonstrated MCR and one patient, who had a cryptic translocation, achieved low-level positivity (2.5%) for BCR-ABL by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The median duration of imatinib treatment before the identification of cytogenetic abnormalities in BCR-ABL-negative cells was 13 months. The most common cytogenetic abnormality was trisomy 8, documented in three patients. All patients had varying degrees of dysplastic morphologic abnormalities. One patient exhibited increased numbers of marrow blasts, yet consistently demonstrated no Ph-positive metaphases and the absence of morphologic features of CML. The presence of clonal abnormalities in Ph-negative cells of imatinib-treated CML patients with MCR and CHR highlights the importance of routine metaphase cytogenetic testing and long-term follow-up of all imatinib-treated patients.
...
PMID:Demonstration of Philadelphia chromosome negative abnormal clones in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia during major cytogenetic responses induced by imatinib mesylate. 1264 34

Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR) is increasingly used to monitor responses in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). The peripheral blood BCR-ABL/ABL ratio, as assessed by Q-RT-PCR, has been shown to correlate with the contemporary cytogenetic response in patients receiving imatinib (Glivec, Gleevec). We have used Q-RT-PCR to monitor the early molecular response to 4 weeks and 3 months of imatinib therapy, in 47 patients with established CML. After 4 weeks of imatinib therapy, patients whose BCR-ABL/ABL ratio had fallen to less than 50% that of baseline had a significantly higher probability of achieving a major cytogenetic response after 6 months of therapy, when compared with those whose ratio did not fall by this amount (P < 0.001). Similarly, patients whose ratio at 3 months was less than 10% of that at baseline had a significantly higher probability of achieving a major cytogenetic remission at 6 months (P < 0.001). Patients who achieved these falls in their BCR-ABL/ABL ratio at either 4 weeks or 3 months had a superior progression-free survival at a median follow-up of 16.5 months (P = 0.01 and 0.003 respectively). These effects were independent of patient age and disease stage. The occurrence of peripheral blood cytopenias sufficiently severe to interrupt therapy was unrelated to progression-free survival. In conclusion, the data suggest that the early trend in the BCR-ABL/ABL ratio may be clinically useful for the early identification of patients destined to fare poorly on imatinib.
...
PMID:The early molecular response to imatinib predicts cytogenetic and clinical outcome in chronic myeloid leukaemia. 1264 69

The Bcr-Abl fusion protein kinase causes chronic myeloid leukemia and is targeted by the signal transduction inhibitor STI-571/Gleevec/imatinib (STI-571). Sequencing of the BCR-ABL gene in patients who have relapsed after STI-571 chemotherapy has revealed a limited set of kinase domain mutations that mediate drug resistance. To obtain a more comprehensive survey of the amino acid substitutions that confer STI-571 resistance, we performed an in vitro screen of randomly mutagenized BCR-ABL and recovered all of the major mutations previously identified in patients and numerous others that illuminate novel mechanisms of acquired drug resistance. Structural modeling implies that a novel class of variants acts allosterically to destabilize the autoinhibited conformation of the ABL kinase to which STI-571 preferentially binds. This screening strategy is a paradigm applicable to a growing list of target-directed anti-cancer agents and provides a means of anticipating the drug-resistant amino acid substitutions that are likely to be clinically problematic.
...
PMID:Mechanisms of autoinhibition and STI-571/imatinib resistance revealed by mutagenesis of BCR-ABL. 1265 40

Cancer research within the last decades elucidated signaling pathways and identified genes and proteins that lead or contribute to malignant transformation of a cell. Discovery of the Bcr-Abl oncoprotein as the molecular abnormality causing chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) paved the way for the development of a targeted anticancer therapy. The substantial activity of imatinib mesylate (STI571, Glivec) in CML and Philadelphia (Ph)-chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) changed the therapeutic approach to Ph+ leukemia and rang the bell for a new era of anticancer treatment. However, when the phenomenon of relapse occurred despite continued imatinib treatment, we had to learn the lesson that imatinib can select for a resistant disease clone. If such a clone still depends on Bcr-Abl, it either carries a BCR-ABL point mutation that prevents binding of the drug or expresses the fusion protein at high levels. Alternatively, leukemia cells that harbor secondary genetic alterations resulting in Bcr-Abl-independent proliferation are selected for their growth advantage in the presence of imatinib. Point mutations in the BCR-ABL kinase domain prevent binding of imatinib but still allow binding of ATP, thus retaining Bcr-Abl kinase activity. Mutated BCR-ABL is frequently detected in cases of imatinib-resistant Ph+ leukemia and therefore represents the main challenge for the investigation of alternative strategies to either overcome resistance or to prevent the emergence of a resistant leukemic clone.
...
PMID:Resistance of Philadelphia-chromosome positive leukemia towards the kinase inhibitor imatinib (STI571, Glivec): a targeted oncoprotein strikes back. 1275 Jun 93


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>