The role of p21-activated kinases in cancer and targeted therapy / 肿瘤

ABSTRACT

The Paks (p21-activated kinases) are members of a family of serine/threonine kinases which are highly conserved throughout evolution in a variety of organisms. Paks can be activated by a variety of upstream signaling molecules, especially by Rac and Cdc42 from Rho family small G proteins. The activated Paks play an important role in regulating many signaling pathways and cell function. The aberrant expression of Paks has been observed in a variety of cancers. Paks promote tumorigenesis through regulating cytoskeleton remodeling, cell motility, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, apoptosis, mitosis and angiogenesis. It appears promising to consider Paks as potential therapeutic targets in cancer therapy. Copyright © 2012 by TUMOR.