Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P42345 (mTOR)
 26,049 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Hypoxia-regulated genes such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) are both important for tumour progression in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Drugs that block these and other pathways have been examined in Phase I and II clinical trials in patients with advanced or metastatic RCC. Results from a randomised study of an anti-VEGF antibody demonstrate a delay in the time to disease progression, suggesting a biological effect and change in the natural history of the disease. Results using small-molecule inhibitors of VEGF, FLT3, KIT and platelet-derived growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases, such as sunitinib, show a 40% objective response rate. Results from a Phase III clinical trial with sorafenib, an inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases, show only a 2% response rate; however, a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival was observed. Objective responses have also been noted using an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin. Conversely, EGF receptor inhibitors, proteosome inhibitors, microtubule stabilising agents, cell-cycle inhibitors and imatinib were also examined with few objective responses. Ultimately, identifying the predictive factors for responsiveness to these targeted therapies may improve the clinical benefit; for example, RCC with biallelic mutations in the von Hippel-Lindau gene would have higher levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha, and may be more responsive to inhibitors of angiogenesis. Phase III studies comparing the combinations of targeted therapy could lead to a new standard of care for RCC.
 ...
PMID:Targeted therapy in renal cell carcinoma. 1618 67

Protein kinases have emerged as one of the most promising targets for rational drug discovery. In a similar manner to imatinib mesylate (Gleevec), hematological malignancies offer multiple pharmacologic opportunities for manipulation of kinase-induced tumor cell proliferation. Certain kinases have been validated as targets for drug discovery in hematological malignancies (such as BCR-ABL and FLT3); other novel kinases hold considerable interest for targeted intervention: myeloid leukemias (KDR, KIT, CSF-1R, RAS and RAF), lymphoid leukemias (JAK2 fusion protein, TIE-1, CDK modulators), lymphoma (ALK, CDK modulators, mTOR), myeloproliferative disorders (PDGF-R or FGF-R fusion gene products, FGF-R1) and myeloma (FGF-R3, STAT3). Over the past five years, the number of kinase-targeted drug therapies undergoing clinical development has increased exponentially. This review will focus on novel kinase targets currently undergoing preclinical and clinical investigation.
 ...
PMID:Kinases as drug discovery targets in hematologic malignancies. 1630 89

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are the most common primary mesenchymal tumours of the gastrointestinal tract. Most of them show activating mutations of the genes coding for KIT or platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRalpha), two receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). The RTK inhibitor Imatinib (Gleevec, Novartis, Switzerland), induces regression of the tumour. The level of response to treatment, together with other clinicopathological parameters is related to the type and site of the activating mutation, thus suggesting that these tumours should be classified according to the molecular context. This is confirmed also by the phenomenon of the resistance to treatment, which arises because of different mechanisms (second mutation, amplification, activation of other RTKs) and can be fought only by specific RTK inhibitors, that are at present under development. RTK activation involves an homogeneous transduction pathway whose components (MAPK, AKT, PI3K, mTOR and RAS) are possible targets of new molecular treatment. A new paradigm of classification integrating the classic pathological criteria with the molecular changes will permit personalised prognosis and treatment.
 ...
PMID:An update on molecular genetics of gastrointestinal stromal tumours. 1673 99

Immunotherapy confers a small but significant overall survival advantage in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) but a need exists to develop more effective systemic therapies. Angiogenesis has a key role in the pathophysiology of renal cell carcinoma and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important mediator of this process. Sunitinib, sorafenib and axitinib are new agents which belong to a class of drugs called kinase inhibitors and inhibit the VEGF, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and c-KIT receptor tyrosine kinases. Temsirolimus inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). All these agents have shown significant activity with manageable toxicity in metastatic RCC in phase 2 studies in patients generally pretreated with immunotherapy, whilst prolonged progression-free survival in a phase 3 study has been reported with sorafenib in comparison with placebo. Further phase 3 trials are recruiting and the combination of kinase inhibitors with other therapies is under investigation.
 ...
PMID:Kinase inhibitors in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. 1686 Sep 97

SU11248 is an orally available type III and V receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Clinical studies have shown the efficacy of SU11248 in individuals with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST); however, the molecular mechanisms by which SU11248 inhibits the proliferation of these tumor cells remains to be fully elucidated. Taking advantage of GIST-T1 cells, which possess an activating mutation in exon 11 of the c-KIT gene, we examined the medicinal action of SU11248 in GIST cells. Clonogenic and MTT assays showed that SU11248 potently inhibited the proliferation of GIST-T1 cells with IC50 of approximately 1 nM and 40 nM, respectively. SU11248 (10 or 20 nM, 48 h) activated caspase-3 and induced apoptosis of GIST-T1 cells as measured by caspase assay, annexin V staining and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Western blot analyses found that SU11248 blocked autophosphorylation of c-KIT in association with inhibition of its downstream effectors, including Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase, but not signal transducers and activators of transcription. Interestingly, when phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling was blocked simultaneously by either LY294002 or rapamycin, growth inhibition mediated by SU11248 was potentiated. Taken together, this study supports clinical studies of SU11248 for individuals with GIST, and the combination of SU11248 and inhibitors of 3-kinase/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling represents a promising novel treatment strategy.
 ...
PMID:Effect of SU11248 on gastrointestinal stromal tumor-T1 cells: enhancement of growth inhibition via inhibition of 3-kinase/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. 1691 20

ZD6474 (Zactima, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield, UK) is an orally available, small-molecule inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 and epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases, with additional activity versus rearranged during transfection (RET). This study explored the effect of ZD6474 in gastrointestinal stromal tumor-T1 (GIST-T1) cells that possess a gain of function mutation in exon 11 of the c-KIT gene. ZD6474 induced growth arrest and apoptosis of GIST-T1 cells in association with blockade of c-Kit and its downstream effectors, including Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). ZD6474 treatment also blocked the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which lies downstream of Akt and ERK. Interestingly, when ZD6474 was combined with sunitinib (SU11248; Sutent, Pfizer, Kalamazoo, MI, USA), a class III and V receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, the ZD6474-mediated growth inhibition was potentiated in association with further down-regulation of the mTOR targets p-p70S6K and p-4E-BP-1. The combination of ZD6474 and sunitinib should be investigated further.
 ...
PMID:ZD6474 induces growth arrest and apoptosis of GIST-T1 cells, which is enhanced by concomitant use of sunitinib. 1699 74

We studied antitumor effects of receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib (formerly SU11248) against a variety of hematologic malignancies including the following leukemias: eosinophilic (EOL-1), acute myeloid (THP-1, U937, Kasumi-1), biphenotypic (MV4-11), acute lymphoblastic (NALL-1, Jurkat, BALL-2, PALL-1, PALL-2), blast crisis of chronic myeloid (KU812, Kcl-22, K562), and adult T-cell (MT-1, MT-2, MT-4), as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (KS-1, Dauji, Akata) and multiple myeloma (U266). Thymidine uptake studies showed that sunitinib was active against EOL-1, MV4-11, and Kasumi-1 cells, which possessed activating mutations of the PDGFRalpha, FLT-3, and c-KIT genes, respectively, with IC(50)s of <30 nmol/L. In addition, sunitinib inhibited the proliferation of freshly isolated leukemia cells from patients possessing mutations in FLT3 gene. Annexin V staining showed that sunitinib induced apoptosis of these cells. Sunitinib inhibited phosphorylation of FLT3 and PDGFRalpha in conjunction with blockade of mammalian target of rapamycin signaling in MV4-11 and EOL-1 cells, respectively. Interestingly, rapamycin analogue RAD001 enhanced the ability of sunitinib to inhibit the proliferation of leukemia cells and down-regulate levels of mammalian target of rapamycin effectors p70 S6 kinase and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 in these cells. Taken together, sunitinib may be useful for treatment of individuals with leukemias possessing activation mutation of tyrosine kinase, and the combination of sunitinib and RAD001 represents a promising novel treatment strategy.
 ...
PMID:The antitumor effects of sunitinib (formerly SU11248) against a variety of human hematologic malignancies: enhancement of growth inhibition via inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. 1704 Oct 96

Receptor tyrosine kinases expressed in endothelial cells are potential targets for therapy with specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Endothelial cell KIT expression has not been systematically evaluated in human cancer. In the present study, endothelial cell KIT expression was assessed in 345 tumours consisting of 34 different histological types using a tissue microarray technique. Marked KIT expression occurred in the tumour endothelial cells only in primary glioblastomas in the microarray. Moderate to strong KIT and phosphorylated KIT expression was detected in the tumour endothelial cells in six (16%) and seven (19%) of the 37 primary glioblastomas examined, respectively. In whole tissue sections, KIT and phosphorylated KIT were expressed in tumour endothelial cells in 13 (59%) and 11 (50%) of the 22 glioblastomas examined, respectively. RNA in situ hybridization showed KIT mRNA expression in most glioblastomas both in tumour vessel endothelial cells and in perinecrotic palisading glioblastoma cells, whereas little KIT mRNA was found in the endothelial cells of colon or pancreatic carcinomas. Phosphorylated KIT, its ligand stem cell factor, and the downstream signalling molecules phosphorylated Akt and mTOR were often expressed in glioblastoma cells located in the perinecrotic tumour areas that often also contained abundant HIF-1alpha. It is concluded that marked KIT and phosphorylated KIT expression is frequently present in the endothelial cells of glioblastomas, which are known to harbour florid microvascular proliferation with characteristic morphological features. Glioblastomas also express phosphorylated KIT and its activated downstream signalling molecules in the tumour cells. Lower levels of KIT and phosphorylated KIT are present in endothelial cells of other tumour types and in normal tissues. Endothelial cell and tumour cell expression of activated KIT might explain in part the responsiveness of glioblastomas to the combination of imatinib (an inhibitor of KIT) and hydroxyurea.
 ...
PMID:Endothelial cell KIT expression in human tumours. 1729 21

Specific inhibitors can be designed to inactivate the molecular pathways involved in tumor growth. A compelling example is the use of small molecule drugs, such as imatinib (Gleevec), which inhibit the KIT tyrosine kinase in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Assays are needed to determine which inhibitor is most effective at silencing the KIT kinase in each GIST patient. The aim of this study was to develop a robust, cytology-based assay to measure tumor susceptibility to target-specific small molecule inhibitors. We created an immortal GIST cell line (GIST882) that was treated in vitro with several inhibitors of the KIT --> AKT --> mTOR --> S6 signaling pathway. KIT was inhibited with imatinib, and mTOR with RAD001. Treatment response was assessed in cytologic preparations by immunocytochemical staining with antibodies to KIT, phospho-KIT, phospho-AKT, and phospho-S6. Optimization was performed to maximize staining in the absence of inhibitor, and minimize staining in the presence of inhibitor. GIST882 cells demonstrated strong, robust phospho-S6 expression in the absence of inhibitor. This expression was completely inhibited by treatment with upstream signaling pathway inhibitors (imatinib and RAD001). Other phospho-specific antibodies had weaker baseline reactivity in the absence of inhibitor. The accuracy of the immunocytochemical results on the cytologic preparations was validated by immunoblotting studies. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of cytologic methods to monitor labile biochemical responses in tumor cells during drug therapy. Such approaches will be enhanced by the development of additional activation state-specific antibodies, particularly those optimized for use in cytologic preparations.
 ...
PMID:An in vitro cytologic assay for evaluation of the KIT signaling pathway in gastrointestinal stromal tumors. 1739 39

Core binding factor (CBF) leukemias, characterized by either inv(16)/t(16;16) or t(8;21), constitute acute myeloid leukemia (AML) subgroups with favorable prognosis. However, there exists substantial biologic and clinical heterogeneity within these cytogenetic groups that is not fully reflected by the current classification system. To improve the molecular characterization we profiled gene expression in a large series (n = 93) of AML patients with CBF leukemia [(inv (16), n = 55; t(8;21), n = 38)]. By unsupervised hierarchical clustering we were able to define a subgroup of CBF cases (n = 35) characterized by shorter overall survival times (P = .03). While there was no obvious correlation with fusion gene transcript levels, FLT3 tyrosine kinase domain, KIT, and NRAS mutations, the newly defined inv(16)/t(8;21) subgroup was associated with elevated white blood cell counts and FLT3 internal tandem duplications (P = .011 and P = .026, respectively). Supervised analyses of gene expression suggested alternative cooperating pathways leading to transformation. In the "favorable" CBF leukemias, antiapoptotic mechanisms and deregulated mTOR signaling and, in the newly defined "unfavorable" subgroup, aberrant MAPK signaling and chemotherapy-resistance mechanisms might play a role. While the leukemogenic relevance of these signatures remains to be validated, their existence nevertheless supports a prognostically relevant biologic basis for the heterogeneity observed in CBF leukemia.
 ...
PMID:Gene-expression profiling identifies distinct subclasses of core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia. 1748 51


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next >>