RESUMO
Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) pathway plays a crucial role in cancer cell survival and proliferation. This signaling pathway has been related to epithelial to mesenchymal transition and drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, which is a common challenge in chemotherapy. Consequently, mediators of this pathway have recently been considered as novel therapeutic targets in HCC. In this review the impact of ERK1 and ERK2 as major components of ERK signaling pathway, in HCC biology and drug resistance will be highlighted and discussed.
Assuntos
Carcinoma Hepatocelular/tratamento farmacológico , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamento farmacológico , Proteína Quinase 1 Ativada por Mitógeno/genética , Proteína Quinase 3 Ativada por Mitógeno/genética , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/uso terapêutico , Animais , Antineoplásicos/uso terapêutico , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/enzimologia , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/genética , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Movimento Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Resistencia a Medicamentos Antineoplásicos/genética , Transição Epitelial-Mesenquimal , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/enzimologia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patologia , Proteína Quinase 1 Ativada por Mitógeno/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteína Quinase 1 Ativada por Mitógeno/metabolismo , Proteína Quinase 3 Ativada por Mitógeno/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteína Quinase 3 Ativada por Mitógeno/metabolismo , Modelos Moleculares , Transdução de SinaisRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Depending on the response to standard steroid therapy, nephrotic syndrome it is classified to steroid-sensitive and steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS). Mutations in several genes including NPHS2 have been implicated in SRNS. Gene R229Q polymorphism (p.R229Q) of NPHS2 is associated with adolescent- or adult-onset SRNS in European and South American populations. We investigated this polymorphism among a group of Iranian-Azeri patients with primary SRNS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All participants had the primary late-onset form of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and their clinical feature was steroid unresponsiveness. They were compared with a group of age- and sex-matched individuals without any renal disease for NPHS2 gene as controls. The R229Q polymorphism (p.R229Q) was investigated in the case and control groups. RESULTS: A total of 25 patients (mean age, 26.6 +/- 8.0 years) with primary FSGS and 35 controls (mean age, 26.0 +/- 8.7 years) were studied. Serum creatinine of patients and their 24-hour protein excretion at the time of study were 2.4 +/- 1.94 mg/dL and 2830 +/- 981 mg/dL, respectively. Molecular study showed no p.R229Q polymorphism, neither in patients nor in controls. CONCLUSIONS: In this preliminary study, we showed that NPHS2 gene p.R229Q polymorphism does not present in Iranian-Azeri population with SRNS. Larger studies are needed to confirm our results and other mutated genes should also be considered in these patients.
