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)

Imatinib (Gleevec) exemplifies the successful development of a rationally designed, molecularly targeted therapy for the treatment of a specific cancer. This article reviews the identification of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase as a therapeutic target in chronic myeloid leukemia and the steps in the development of an agent to specifically inactivate this abnormality. The clinical trials results are reviewed along with a description of resistance mechanisms. As imatinib also inhibits the tyrosine kinase activity of KIT and the platelet-derived growth factor receptors, the extension of imatinib to malignancies driven by these kinases will be described. Issues related to clinical trials of molecularly targeted agents are discussed, including patient and dose selection. Last, the translation of this paradigm to other malignancies is explored.
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PMID:Imatinib as a paradigm of targeted therapies. 1532 87

Protein kinase inhibitors can be effective in treating selected cancers, but most suppress several kinases. Imatinib mesylate has been useful in the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia and B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia through the inhibition of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase activity. Imatinib mesylate has also been shown to inhibit KIT, ARG, and platelet-derived growth factor receptors alpha and beta, and potentially other tyrosine kinases. We have produced a mutant allele of BCR-ABL (T315A) that is uniquely inhibitable by the small molecule 4-amino-1-tert-butyl-3-(1-naphthyl)pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine and used it to demonstrate that sole suppression of BCR-ABL activity was insufficient to eliminate BCR-ABL(+) KIT(+)-expressing immature murine myeloid leukemic cells. In contrast, imatinib mesylate effectively eliminated BCR-ABL(+) KIT(+)-expressing leukemic cells. In the cellular context of mature myeloid cells and Pro/Pre B cells that do not express KIT, monospecific BCR-ABL inhibition was quantitatively as effective as imatinib mesylate in suppressing cell growth and inducing apoptosis. These results suggest that the therapeutic effectiveness of small molecule drugs such as imatinib mesylate could be due to the inhibitor's ability to suppress protein kinases in addition to the dominant target.
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PMID:Sole BCR-ABL inhibition is insufficient to eliminate all myeloproliferative disorder cell populations. 1550 16

We report a mechanism by which the adapter protein Gene 33 (also called RALT and MIG6) regulates epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. We find that Gene 33 inhibits EGFR autophosphorylation and specifically blunts epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced activation and/or phosphorylation of Ras, ERK, JNK, Akt/PKB, and retinoblastoma protein. The Ack homology domain of Gene 33, which contains the previously identified EGFR binding domain, is both necessary and sufficient for this inhibition of EGFR autophosphorylation. The endogenous Gene 33 polypeptide is induced by EGF, platelet-derived growth factor, serum, and dexamethasone (Dex) in Rat 2 rat fibroblasts. Dex induces Gene 33 expression and inhibits EGFR phosphorylation and EGF signaling. RNA interference-mediated silencing of Gene 33 significantly reverses this effect. Overexpression of Gene 33 completely blocks EGF-induced protein and DNA synthesis in Rat 2 cells, whereas gene 33 RNA interference substantially enhances EGF-induced protein and DNA synthesis in Rat 2 cells. Our results indicate that Gene 33 is a physiological feedback inhibitor of the EGFR, functioning to inhibit EGFR phosphorylation and all events induced by EGFR activation. Our results also indicate a role for Gene 33 in the suppression, by Dex, of EGF signaling pathways. We propose that Gene 33 may function in the cross-talk between EGF signaling and other mitogenic and/or stress signaling pathways.
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PMID:Gene 33 is an endogenous inhibitor of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor signaling and mediates dexamethasone-induced suppression of EGF function. 1555 44

Hyperglycemia increases expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-beta receptor and potentiates chemotaxis to PDGF-BB in human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) via PI3K and ERK/MAPK signaling pathways. The purpose of this study was to determine whether increased activation of protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms had a modulatory effect on the PI3K and ERK/MAPK pathways, control of cell adhesiveness, and movement. All known PKC isoforms were assessed but only PKCalpha and PKCbetaII levels were increased in 25 mmol/L glucose. However, only PKCbetaII inhibition affected (decreased) PI3K pathway and MAPK pathway activities and inhibited PDGF-beta receptor upregulation in raised glucose, and specific MAPK inhibition was required to completely block the effect of glucose. In raised glucose conditions, activity of the ERK/MAPK pathway, PI3K pathway, and PKCbetaII were all sensitive to aldose reductase inhibition. Chemotaxis to PDGF-BB (360 pmol/L), absent in 5 mmol/L glucose, was present in raised glucose and could be blocked by PKCbetaII inhibition. Formation of lamellipodia was dependent on PI3K activation and filopodia on MAPK activation; both lamellipodia and filopodia were eliminated when PKCbetaII was inhibited. FAK phosphorylation and cell adhesion were reduced by PI3K inhibition, and although MAPK inhibition prevented chemotaxis, it did not affect FAK phosphorylation or cell adhesiveness. In conclusion, chemotaxis to PDGF-BB in 25 mmol/L glucose is PKCbetaII-dependent and requires activation of both the PI3K and MAPK pathways. Changes in cell adhesion and migration speed are mediated mainly through the PI3K pathway.
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PMID:Modification of PI3K- and MAPK-dependent chemotaxis in aortic vascular smooth muscle cells by protein kinase CbetaII. 1559 Dec 31

Imatinib mesylate is a potent and specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor against c-ABL, BCR-ABL, and c-KIT, and has been demonstrated to be highly active in chronic myeloid leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. We examined the antifibrotic effects of imatinib using a bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis model in mice because imatinib also inhibits tyrosine kinase of platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs). Imatinib inhibited the growth of primary murine lung fibroblasts and the autophosphorylation of PDGFR-beta induced by PDGF. Administration of imatinib significantly prevented bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice, partly by reducing the number of mesenchymal cells incorporating bromodeoxyuridine. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage cells demonstrated that imatinib did not suppress early inflammation on Days 7 and 14 caused by bleomycin. These results suggest that imatinib has the potential to prevent pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the proliferation of mesenchymal cells, and that imatinib might be useful for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in humans.
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PMID:Imatinib as a novel antifibrotic agent in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. 1573 62

Growth hormone receptor (GHR) is a cytokine receptor superfamily member that binds growth hormone (GH) via its extracellular domain and signals via interaction of its cytoplasmic domain with JAK2 and other signaling molecules. GHR is a target for inducible metalloprotease-mediated cleavage in its perimembranous extracellular domain, a process that liberates the extracellular domain as the soluble GH-binding protein and leaves behind a cell-associated GHR remnant protein containing the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. GHR metalloproteolysis can be catalyzed by tumor necrosis factor-alpha-converting enzyme (ADAM-17) and is associated with down-modulation of GH signaling. We now study the fate of the GHR remnant protein. By anti-GHR cytoplasmic domain immunoblotting, we observed that the remnant induced in response to phorbol ester or platelet-derived growth factor has a reliable pattern of appearance and disappearance in both mouse preadipocytes endogenously expressing GHR and transfected fibroblasts expressing rabbit GHR. Lactacystin, a specific proteasome inhibitor, did not appreciably change the time course of remnant appearance or clearance but allowed detection of the GHR stub, a receptor fragment slightly smaller than the remnant but containing the C terminus of the remnant (receptor cytoplasmic domain). In contrast, MG132, another (less specific) proteasome inhibitor, strongly inhibited remnant clearance and prevented stub appearance. Inhibitors of gamma-secretase, an aspartyl protease, also prevented the appearance of the stub, even in the presence of lactacystin, and concomitantly inhibited remnant clearance in the same fashion as MG132. In addition, mouse embryonic fibroblasts derived from presenilin 1 and 2 (PS1/2) knockouts recapitulated the gamma-secretase inhibitor studies, as compared with their littermate controls (PS1/2 wild type). Confocal microscopy indicated that the GHR cytoplasmic domain became localized to the nucleus in a fashion dependent on PS1/2 activity. These data indicate that the GHR is subject to sequential proteolysis by metalloprotease and gamma-secretase activities and may suggest GH-independent roles for the GHR.
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PMID:Growth hormone receptor is a target for presenilin-dependent gamma-secretase cleavage. 1574 67

The hallmark characteristics of cancer include an unrestrained proliferation involving activation of growth signals, loss of negative regulation and dysfunctional apoptotic pathways. Targeting abnormal cell signalling pathways should provide a more selective approach to cancer treatment than conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Tyrosine kinases play an essential role in the signalling pathways involved in the control of cellular proliferation and growth. Imatinib is a small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor of the ABL fusion gene, platelet derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR) and KIT. This agent has demonstrated considerable activity in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) by inhibiting the BCR-ABL fusion protein and gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs), which are predominantly driven by activating mutations in KIT. A number of other rare conditions are also responsive, for example, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, which is driven by a chromosomal translocation involving PDGF-B and Col1A1, resulting in overexpression of PDGF-B, and hypereosinophillic syndrome, which can be caused by activating PDGFR mutations. The pivotal registration study for newly diagnosed CML was a large randomised trial comparing 400 mg/day of imatinib to a combination of IFN-alpha and cytarabine, which demonstrated a significantly higher complete haematological and cytogenetic response rate in the imatinib arm. In the case of GIST a randomised study in patients with inoperable or metastatic disease explored doses of 400 - 600mg and reported a response rate of > 50% in each arm plus disease stabilisation and an improvement in performance status. Large randomised trials have subsequently been performed, comparing 400 with 800mg/day. The first to report indicates that the larger dose is associated with improved progression-free survival, although it is not yet known whether or not this will translate into a difference in overall survival. The most common KIT mutation involves exon 11 and is associated with a statistically significant better response and prognosis compared with other mutations or no detectable mutations. Mutational analysis is likely to become increasingly important in the selection of patients for neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment and in helping to understand the nature of acquired resistance.
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PMID:The development and application of imatinib. 1579 12

Activated signaling proteins regulate diverse processes, including the differentiation of the pancreatic islet cells during ontogeny. Here we uncover the in vivo phosphorylation status of major growth factor-activated signaling proteins in normal adult mice and during pancreatic islet regeneration. We report elevated phospho-mitogen-activated protein kinase (phospho-MAPK), phospho-c-Jun-NH2-terminal kinase (phospho-JNK), and phospho-p38 MAPK expression during pancreatic regeneration. Immunoblotting experiments demonstrated elevated phosphorylation of p52 Src-homology/collagen (SHC) in the ductal network as well, substantiating the activation of this pathway. Furthermore, protein kinase B (PKB/Akt), a key signaling protein in the anti-apoptotic pathway, was phosphorylated to a greater extent in the ductal network from regenerating pancreas. We observed fibroblast growht factor (FGF)10 and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)AA expression in embryonic as well as regenerating adult pancreas. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and PDGFAA stimulated MAPK and Akt phosphorylation, while FGF10 stimulated MAPK but not Akt phosphorylation in a time-dependent manner in freshly isolated cells from the adult ductal network. These data suggest that a heightened level of expression and stimulation of key signaling proteins underlie the expansion and differentiation processes that support pancreatic ontogeny and regeneration.
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PMID:Growth factor-induced signaling of the pancreatic epithelium. 1581 26

The highly invasive behavior of glioblastoma cells contributes to the morbidity and mortality associated with these tumors. The integrin-mediated adhesion and migration of glioblastoma cells on brain matrix proteins is enhanced by stimulation with growth factors, including platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). As focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a nonreceptor cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase, has been shown to promote cell migration in various other cell types, we analysed its role in glioblastoma cell migration. Forced overexpression of FAK in serum-starved glioblastoma cells plated on recombinant (rec)-osteopontin resulted in a twofold enhancement of basal migration and a ninefold enhancement of PDGF-BB-stimulated migration. Both expression of mutant FAK(397F) and the downregulation of FAK with small interfering (si) RNA inhibited basal and PDGF-stimulated migration. FAK overexpression and PDGF stimulation was found to increase the phosphorylation of the Crk-associated substrate (CAS) family member human enhancer of filamentation 1 (HEF1), but not p130CAS or Src-interacting protein (Sin)/Efs, although the levels of expression of these proteins was similar. Moreover downregulation of HEF1 with siRNA, but not p130CAS, inhibited basal and PDGF-stimulated migration. The phosphorylated HEF1 colocalized with vinculin and was associated almost exclusively with 0.1% Triton X-100 insoluble material, consistent with its signaling at focal adhesions. FAK overexpression promoted invasion through normal brain homogenate and siHEF1 inhibited this invasion. Results presented here suggest that HEF1 acts as a necessary and specific downstream effector of FAK in the invasive behavior of glioblastoma cells and may be an effective target for treatment of these tumors.
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PMID:HEF1 is a necessary and specific downstream effector of FAK that promotes the migration of glioblastoma cells. 1628 24

Oxidative stress is important in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis through its induction of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) proliferation and enhancement of collagen synthesis. Reactive oxygen species have been found to be essential second messengers in the signaling of both major fibrotic growth factors, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), in cultured HSC and liver fibrosis. The non-toxic aminothiol N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) inhibits cellular activation and attenuates experimental fibrosis in liver. Prior reports show that NAC is capable of reducing the effects of TGF-beta in biological systems, in cultured endothelial cells, and HSC through its direct reducing activity upon TGF-beta molecules. We here analyzed the effects of NAC on PDGF integrity, receptor binding, and downstream signaling in culture-activated HSC. We found that NAC dose-dependently induces disintegration of PDGF in vitro. However, even high doses (>20mM) were not sufficient to prevent the phosphorylation of the PDGF receptor type beta, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, or protein kinase B (PKB/Akt). Therefore, we conclude that the PDGF monomer is still active. The described antifibrotic effects are therefore mainly attributable to the structural impairment of TGF-beta signaling components reported previously.
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PMID:Disruption of intermolecular disulfide bonds in PDGF-BB dimers by N-acetyl-L-cysteine does not prevent PDGF signaling in cultured hepatic stellate cells. 1628 37


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