{"title":"The role of p21-activated kinases in hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis.","authors":"Edith Yuk Ting Tse, Yick Pang Ching","doi":"10.1186/1750-2187-9-7","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The p21-activated kinases (PAKs) are downstream effectors of the Rho family small GTPases as well as a wide variety of mitogenic factors and have been implicated in cancer formation, development and metastasis. PAKs phosphorylate a wide spectrum of substrates to mediate extracellular signals and regulate cytoskeletal remodeling, cell motility and survival. In this review, we aim to summarize the findings regarding the oncogenic role and the underlying mechanisms of PAKs signaling in various cancers, and in particular highlight the prime importance of PAKs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and metastasis. Recent studies exploring the potential therapeutic application of PAK inhibitors will also be discussed. </p>","PeriodicalId":35051,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Molecular Signaling","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2014-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/1750-2187-9-7","citationCount":"19","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Molecular Signaling","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/1750-2187-9-7","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2014/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 19
Abstract
The p21-activated kinases (PAKs) are downstream effectors of the Rho family small GTPases as well as a wide variety of mitogenic factors and have been implicated in cancer formation, development and metastasis. PAKs phosphorylate a wide spectrum of substrates to mediate extracellular signals and regulate cytoskeletal remodeling, cell motility and survival. In this review, we aim to summarize the findings regarding the oncogenic role and the underlying mechanisms of PAKs signaling in various cancers, and in particular highlight the prime importance of PAKs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and metastasis. Recent studies exploring the potential therapeutic application of PAK inhibitors will also be discussed.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Molecular Signaling is an open access, peer-reviewed online journal that encompasses all aspects of molecular signaling. Molecular signaling is an exponentially growing field that encompasses different molecular aspects of cell signaling underlying normal and pathological conditions. Specifically, the research area of the journal is on the normal or aberrant molecular mechanisms involving receptors, G-proteins, kinases, phosphatases, and transcription factors in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and oncogenesis in mammalian cells. This area also covers the genetic and epigenetic changes that modulate the signaling properties of cells and the resultant physiological conditions.