Pro and Anti Tumorigenic Effects of EPHA Receptor Signaling in Breast and Lung Cancer
Zhuang, Guanglei
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2010-04-10
Abstract
The Eph family of receptor tyrosine kinases has important roles in multiple aspects of cancer development and progression. Substantial advances have been made in understanding the Eph receptor signalling in the pathways that govern fundamental cellular processes in cancer, such as proliferation, survival, migration and invasion, as well as those that regulate intercellular communication during tumorigenesis. Common themes and controversies of Eph-ephrin in cancer biology have been gleaned from intensive research efforts in the field, and continue to be uncovered. As part of them, our current results, presented herein, primarily explore the role of EphA receptor signaling in breast and lung cancer progression, which has not been elucidated systematically and comprehensively. We have now shown the pro-tumorigenic effects of EphA2 receptor in breast cancer by crosstalking with HER2 signaling, and anti-tumorigenic effects of EphA3 receptor in lung cancer by inhibiting the mTOR pathway. Our increased understanding of the genetic, molecular, and biological characteristics of the Eph-ephrin system is essential for the rational development of novel anti-cancer therapies.