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TAKAHASHI M. RET receptor signaling: Function in development, metabolic disease, and cancer. PROCEEDINGS OF THE JAPAN ACADEMY. SERIES B, PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2022; 98:112-125. [PMID: 35283407 PMCID: PMC8948417 DOI: 10.2183/pjab.98.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The RET proto-oncogene encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase whose alterations are responsible for various human cancers and developmental disorders, including thyroid cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, and Hirschsprung's disease. RET receptors are physiologically activated by glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family ligands that bind to the coreceptor GDNF family receptor α (GFRα). Signaling via the GDNF/GFRα1/RET ternary complex plays crucial roles in the development of the enteric nervous system, kidneys, and urinary tract, as well as in the self-renewal of spermatogonial stem cells. In addition, another ligand, growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15), has been shown to bind to GFRα-like and activate RET, regulating body weight. GDF15 is a stress response cytokine, and its elevated serum levels affect metabolism and anorexia-cachexia syndrome. Moreover, recent development of RET-specific kinase inhibitors contributed significantly to progress in the treatment of patients with RET-altered cancer. This review focuses on the broad roles of RET in development, metabolic diseases, and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahide TAKAHASHI
- International Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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Uddin MS, Kabir MT, Rahman MM, Mathew B, Shah MA, Ashraf GM. TV 3326 for Alzheimer's dementia: a novel multimodal ChE and MAO inhibitors to mitigate Alzheimer's-like neuropathology. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 72:1001-1012. [PMID: 32149402 DOI: 10.1111/jphp.13244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders and a well-recognized cause of dementia with ageing. In this review, we have represented the ChE and MAO inhibitory potential of TV 3326 against AD based on current scientific evidence. KEY FINDINGS The aetiology of AD is quite complex and not completely understood. However, it has been observed that AD involves the deposition of abnormal amyloid beta (Aβ), along with hyperphosphorylation of tau, oxidative stress, low acetylcholine (ACh) level and biometal dyshomeostasis. Due to the complex nature of AD aetiology, active research is required in the areas of development of multitarget drugs with 2 or more complementary biological functions, as they might represent significant progress in the AD treatment. Interestingly, it has been found that TV 3326 (i.e. ladostigil) is regarded as a novel therapeutic agent since it has the potential to cause inhibition of monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in the brain. Furthermore, it has the capacity to reverse memory impairments, which further suggests the ability of this drug to elevate cholinergic activity in the brain. SUMMARY TV 3326 can avert oxidative-nitrative stress and gliosis. It has also been confirmed that TV 3326 contains neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic properties. Therefore, this distinctive combined inhibition of ChE and MAO along with its neuroprotective property makes TV 3326 a useful drug in the treatment of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Sahab Uddin
- Department of Pharmacy, Southeast University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.,Pharmakon Neuroscience Research Network, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Md Motiar Rahman
- Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bijo Mathew
- Division of Drug Design and Medicinal Chemistry Research Lab, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Ahalia School of Pharmacy, Palakkad, India
| | - Muhammad Ajmal Shah
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Ghulam Md Ashraf
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Khatami F, Tavangar SM. Genetic and Epigenetic of Medullary Thyroid Cancer. IRANIAN BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL 2018; 22:142-50. [PMID: 29126344 PMCID: PMC5889499 DOI: 10.22034/ibj.22.3.142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/28/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is an infrequent, calcitonin producing neuroendocrine tumor and initiates from the parafollicular C cells of the thyroid gland. Several genetic and epigenetic alterations are collaterally responsible for medullary thyroid carcinogenesis. In this review article, we shed light on all the genetic and epigenetic hallmarks of MTC. From the genetic perspective, RET, HRAS, and KRAS are the most important genes that are characterized in MTC. From the epigenetic perspective, Ras-association domain family member 1A, telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter methylations, overexpression of histone methyltransferases, EZH2 and SMYD3, and wide ranging increase and decrease in non-coding RNAs can be responsible for medullary thyroid carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Khatami
- Chronic Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Mohammad Tavangar
- Chronic Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Pathology, Dr. Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Redaelli S, Plaza-Menacho I, Mologni L. Novel targeted therapeutics for MEN2. Endocr Relat Cancer 2018; 25:T53-T68. [PMID: 29348306 DOI: 10.1530/erc-17-0297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The rearranged during transfection (RET) proto-oncogene was recognized as the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) causing gene in 1993. Since then, much effort has been put into a clear understanding of its oncogenic signaling, its biochemical function and ways to block its aberrant activation in MEN2 and related cancers. Several small molecules have been designed, developed or redirected as RET inhibitors for the treatment of MEN2 and sporadic MTC. However, current drugs are mostly active against several other kinases, as they were not originally developed for RET. This limits efficacy and poses safety issues. Therefore, there is still much to do to improve targeted MEN2 treatments. New, more potent and selective molecules, or combinatorial strategies may lead to more effective therapies in the near future. Here, we review the rationale for RET targeting in MEN2, the use of currently available drugs and novel preclinical and clinical RET inhibitor candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Redaelli
- School of Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | | | - Luca Mologni
- School of Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
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Targeting RET-driven cancers: lessons from evolving preclinical and clinical landscapes. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2017; 15:151-167. [PMID: 29134959 DOI: 10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The gene encoding the receptor-tyrosine kinase RET was first discovered more than three decades ago, and activating RET rearrangements and mutations have since been identified as actionable drivers of oncogenesis. Several multikinase inhibitors with activity against RET have been explored in the clinic, and confirmed responses to targeted therapy with these agents have been observed in patients with RET-rearranged lung cancers or RET-mutant thyroid cancers. Nevertheless, response rates to RET-directed therapy are modest compared with those achieved using targeted therapies matched to other oncogenic drivers of solid tumours, such as sensitizing EGFR or BRAFV600E mutations, or ALK or ROS1 rearrangements. To date, no RET-directed targeted therapeutic has received regulatory approval for the treatment of molecularly defined populations of patients with RET-mutant or RET-rearranged solid tumours. In this Review, we discuss how emerging data have informed the debate over whether the limited success of multikinase inhibitors with activity against RET can be attributed to the tractability of RET as a drug target or to the lack, until 2017, of highly specific inhibitors of this oncoprotein in the clinic. We emphasize that novel approaches to targeting RET-dependent tumours are necessary to improve the clinical efficacy of single-agent multikinase inhibition and, thus, hasten approvals of RET-directed targeted therapies.
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Fallahi P, Di Bari F, Ferrari SM, Spisni R, Materazzi G, Miccoli P, Benvenga S, Antonelli A. Selective use of vandetanib in the treatment of thyroid cancer. DRUG DESIGN DEVELOPMENT AND THERAPY 2015; 9:3459-70. [PMID: 26170630 PMCID: PMC4498730 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s72495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Vandetanib is a once-daily orally available tyrosine kinase inhibitor that works by blocking RET (REarranged during Transfection), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR-2, VEGFR-3), and epidermal growth factor receptor and to a lesser extent VEGFR-1, which are important targets in thyroid cancer (TC). It is emerging as a potentially effective option in the treatment of advanced medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and in dedifferentiated papillary thyroid cancer not responsive to radioiodine. The most important effect of vandetanib in aggressive MTC is a prolongation of progression-free survival and a stabilization of the disease. Significant side effects have been observed with the vandetanib therapy (as fatigue, hypertension, QTc prolongation, cutaneous rash, hand-and-foot syndrome, diarrhea, etc), and severe side effects can require the suspension of the drug. Several studies are currently under way to evaluate the long-term efficacy and tolerability of vandetanib in MTC and in dedifferentiated papillary TC. The efficacy of vandetanib in patients with MTC in long-term treatments could be overcome by the resistance to the drug. However, the effectiveness of the treatment could be ameliorated by the molecular characterization of the tumor and by the possibility to test the sensitivity of primary TC cells from each subject to different tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Association studies are evaluating the effect of the association of vandetanib with other antineoplastic agents (such as irinotecan, bortezomib, etc). Further research is needed to determine the ideal therapy to obtain the best response in terms of survival and quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poupak Fallahi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Flavia Di Bari
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Spisni
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gabriele Materazzi
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Miccoli
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Salvatore Benvenga
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Alessandro Antonelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Chernock RD, Hagemann IS. Molecular pathology of hereditary and sporadic medullary thyroid carcinomas. Am J Clin Pathol 2015; 143:768-77. [PMID: 25972318 DOI: 10.1309/ajcphwacttuyj7dd] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a relatively uncommon type of thyroid malignancy, with unique histologic features and molecular pathology. It is important to recognize, because its management, which is in part driven by the genetic basis of this disease, is different from follicular-derived thyroid tumors. The aim of this article is to briefly review the histopathologic features of MTC and then explore its molecular pathology, including the role of molecular diagnostic testing and the use of targeted therapy for advanced disease. METHODS A review of published literature was performed. RESULTS A subset of MTC cases is hereditary and due to germline mutations in the RET tyrosine kinase receptor gene. Somatic mutations in either RET or RAS are also present in most sporadic tumors. CONCLUSIONS Molecular genetic testing is routinely performed to identify hereditary cases. In addition, understanding the molecular basis of both hereditary and sporadic MTC has led to the development of targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Although additional data are needed, tumor mutation status may affect response to targeted therapy. Therefore, it is possible that genetic testing of tumor tissue to predict treatment response, as is currently done for other cancer types, may come into practice in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca D. Chernock
- Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
| | - Ian S. Hagemann
- Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
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Kushchayeva YS, Kushchayev SV, Wexler JA, Carroll NM, Preul MC, Teytelboym OM, Sonntag VKH, Van Nostrand D, Burman KD, Boyle LM. Current treatment modalities for spinal metastases secondary to thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid 2014; 24:1443-55. [PMID: 24827757 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2013.0634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The spine is the most common site of bone metastases due to thyroid cancer, which develop in more than 3% of patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer. Nearly half of patients with bone metastases from thyroid cancer develop vertebral metastases. Spinal metastases are associated with significantly reduced quality of life due to pain, neurological deficit, and increased mortality. SUMMARY Treatment options for patients with thyroid spinal metastases include radioiodine therapy, pharmacologic therapy, and surgical treatments, with recent advances in radiosurgery and minimally invasive spinal surgery as well. Therapeutic interventions require a multidisciplinary approach and aim to control pain, preserve or improve neurologic function, optimize local tumor control, and improve quality of life. We have proposed a three-tiered approach to the management and practical algorithms for patients with spinal metastases from thyroid carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS The introduction of novel and improved techniques for the treatment of spinal metastases has created the opportunity to significantly improve control of metastatic tumor growth and the quality of life for the patients with spinal metastases from thyroid cancer. In order for these options to be effectively used, a multidisciplinary approach must be applied in the management of the patients with thyroid spinal metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yevgeniya S Kushchayeva
- 1 Department of Internal Medicine, MedStar Washington Hospital Center , Washington, District of Columbia
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Plaza-Menacho I, Mologni L, McDonald NQ. Mechanisms of RET signaling in cancer: current and future implications for targeted therapy. Cell Signal 2014; 26:1743-52. [PMID: 24705026 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2014.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2014] [Accepted: 03/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
De-regulation of RET signaling by oncogenic mutation, gene rearrangement, overexpression or transcriptional up-regulation is implicated in several human cancers of neuroendocrine and epithelial origin (thyroid, breast, lung). Understanding how RET signaling mechanisms associated with these oncogenic events are deregulated, and their impact in the biological processes driving tumor formation and progression, as well as response to treatment, will be crucial to find and develop better targeted therapeutic strategies. In this review we emphasie the distinct mechanisms of RET signaling in cancer and summarise current knowledge on small molecule inhibitors targeting the tyrosine kinase domain of RET as therapeutic drugs in RET-positive cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Plaza-Menacho
- Structural Biology Laboratory, London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK, London, UK.
| | - L Mologni
- Dept. of Health Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy
| | - N Q McDonald
- Structural Biology Laboratory, London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK, London, UK
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Santoro M, Carlomagno F. Central role of RET in thyroid cancer. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2013; 5:a009233. [PMID: 24296167 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a009233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
RET (rearranged during transfection) is a receptor tyrosine kinase involved in the development of neural crest derived cell lineages, kidney, and male germ cells. Different human cancers, including papillary and medullary thyroid carcinomas, lung adenocarcinomas, and myeloproliferative disorders display gain-of-function mutations in RET. Accordingly, RET protein has become a promising molecular target for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Santoro
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Universita' degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80131 Napoli, Italy
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Giunti S, Antonelli A, Amorosi A, Santarpia L. Cellular signaling pathway alterations and potential targeted therapies for medullary thyroid carcinoma. Int J Endocrinol 2013; 2013:803171. [PMID: 23509459 PMCID: PMC3594951 DOI: 10.1155/2013/803171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2012] [Revised: 01/08/2013] [Accepted: 01/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Parafollicular C-cell-derived medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) comprises 3% to 4% of all thyroid cancers. While cytotoxic treatments have been shown to have limited efficacy, targeted molecular therapies that inhibit rearranged during transfection (RET) and other tyrosine kinase receptors that are mainly involved in angiogenesis have shown great promise in the treatment of metastatic or locally advanced MTC. Multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as vandetanib, which is already approved for the treatment of progressive MTC, and cabozantinib have shown distinct advantages with regard to rates of disease response and control. However, these types of tyrosine kinase inhibitor compounds are able to concurrently block several types of targets, which limits the understanding of RET as a specific target. Moreover, important resistances to tyrosine kinase inhibitors can occur, which limit the long-term efficacy of these treatments. Deregulated cellular signaling pathways and genetic alterations in MTC, particularly the activation of the RAS/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) cascades and RET crosstalk signaling, are now emerging as novel and potentially promising therapeutic treatments for aggressive MTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Giunti
- Department of Pathology, Centro Oncologico Fiorentino, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Firenze, Italy
| | - Alessandro Antonelli
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa School of Medicine, 56100 Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Amorosi
- Department of Pathology, Centro Oncologico Fiorentino, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Firenze, Italy
| | - Libero Santarpia
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Oncology, Istituto Toscano Tumori, 59100 Prato, Italy
- *Libero Santarpia:
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Couto JP, Almeida A, Daly L, Sobrinho-Simões M, Bromberg JF, Soares P. AZD1480 blocks growth and tumorigenesis of RET- activated thyroid cancer cell lines. PLoS One 2012; 7:e46869. [PMID: 23056499 PMCID: PMC3462763 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2012] [Accepted: 09/06/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Persistent RET activation is a frequent event in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). In these cancers, RET activates the ERK/MAPK, the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and the JAK/STAT3 pathways. Here, we tested the efficacy of a JAK1/2- inhibitor, AZD1480, in the in vitro and in vivo growth of thyroid cancer cell lines expressing oncogenic RET. Thyroid cancer cell lines harboring RET/PTC1 (TPC-1), RET M918T (MZ-CRC1) and RET C634W (TT) alterations, as well as TPC-1 xenografts, were treated with JAK inhibitor, AZD1480. This inhibitor led to growth inhibition and/or apoptosis of the thyroid cancer cell lines in vitro, as well as to tumor regression of TPC-1 xenografts, where it efficiently blocked STAT3 activation in tumor and stromal cells. This inhibition was associated with decreased proliferation, decreased blood vessel density, coupled with increased necrosis. However, AZD1480 repressed the growth of STAT3- deficient TPC-1 cells in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating that its effects in this cell line were independent of STAT3 in the tumor cells. In all cell lines, the JAK inhibitor reduced phospho-Y1062 RET levels, and mTOR effector phospho-S6, while JAK1/2 downregulation by siRNA did not affect cell growth nor RET and S6 activation. In conclusion, AZD1480 effectively blocks proliferation and tumor growth of activated RET- thyroid cancer cell lines, likely through direct RET inhibition in cancer cells as well as by modulation of the microenvironment (e.g. via JAK/phospho-STAT3 inhibition in endothelial cells). Thus, AZD1480 should be considered as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of RET- activated thyroid cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana P Couto
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Cancer Biology, Porto, Portugal
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Abstract
Specific thyroid cancer histotypes, such as papillary and medullary thyroid carcinoma, display genetic rearrangements or point mutations of the RET gene, resulting in its oncogenic conversion. The molecular mechanisms mediating RET rearrangement with other genes and the role of partner genes in tumorigenesis have been described. In addition, the RET protein has become a molecular target for medullary thyroid carcinoma treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Carlomagno
- *Francesca Carlomagno, Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare L. Califano, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Sergio Pansini 5, IT–80123 Napoli (Italy), Tel. +39 081 746 3603, E-Mail
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mGluR2/3 agonist LY379268, by enhancing the production of GDNF, induces a time-related phosphorylation of RET receptor and intracellular signaling Erk1/2 in mouse striatum. Neuropharmacology 2011; 61:638-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2011] [Revised: 05/01/2011] [Accepted: 05/07/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Prazeres H, Torres J, Rodrigues F, Couto JP, Vinagre J, Sobrinho-Simões M, Soares P. How to Treat a Signal? Current Basis for RET-Genotype-Oriented Choice of Kinase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Medullary Thyroid Cancer. J Thyroid Res 2011; 2011:678357. [PMID: 21765992 PMCID: PMC3134398 DOI: 10.4061/2011/678357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2011] [Accepted: 04/10/2011] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The significance of RET in thyroid cancer comes from solid evidence that, when inherited, an RET activating mutation primes C-cells to transform into medullary carcinomas. Moreover, environmental exposure to radiation also induces rearranged transforming RET “isoforms” that are found in papillary thyroid cancer. The RET gene codes for a tyrosine kinase receptor that targets a diverse set of intracellular signaling pathways. The nature of RET point mutations predicts differences in the mechanisms by which the receptor becomes activated and correlates with different forms of clinical presentation, age of onset, and biological aggressiveness. A number of RET-targeting Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) are currently undergoing clinical trials to evaluate their effectiveness in the treatment of thyroid cancer, and it is conceivable that the RET genotype may also influence response to these compounds. The question that now emerges is whether, in the future, the rational for treatment of refractory thyroid cancer will be based on the management of an abnormal RET signal. In this paper we address the RET-targeting TKIs and review studies about the signaling properties of distinct RET mutants as a means to predict response and design combinatorial therapies for the soon to be available TKIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Prazeres
- Cancer Biology Group, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
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Gómez K, Varghese J, Jiménez C. Medullary thyroid carcinoma: molecular signaling pathways and emerging therapies. J Thyroid Res 2011; 2011:815826. [PMID: 21687607 PMCID: PMC3112527 DOI: 10.4061/2011/815826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2011] [Accepted: 03/10/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) over the last 55 years has led to a good understanding of the genetic defects and altered molecular pathways associated with its development. Currently, with the use of genetic testing, patients at high risk for MTC can be identified before the disease develops and offered prophylactic treatment. In cases of localized neck disease, surgery can be curative. However, once MTC has spread beyond the neck, systemic therapy may be necessary. Conventional chemotherapy has been shown to be ineffective; however, multikinase inhibitors have shown promise in stabilizing disease, and this year will probably see the approval of a drug (Vandetanib) for advanced unresectable or metastatic disease, which represents a new chapter in the history of MTC. In this paper, we explore newly understood molecular pathways and the most promising emerging therapies that may change the management of MTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Gómez
- Department of Endocrinology, Hospital San Juan de Dios, Avenida 14, Calles 6 Y 7 Paseo Colon, 1475-1000 San José, Costa Rica
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Weinreb O, Amit T, Bar-Am O, Youdim MB. A novel anti-Alzheimer's disease drug, ladostigil. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2011; 100:191-215. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-386467-3.00010-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Tohda C, Joyashiki E. Sominone enhances neurite outgrowth and spatial memory mediated by the neurotrophic factor receptor, RET. Br J Pharmacol 2009; 157:1427-40. [PMID: 19594760 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2009.00313.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Orally administered withanoside IV (a compound isolated from the roots of Withania somnifera) improved memory deficits in mice with a model of Alzheimer's disease induced by the amyloid peptide Abeta(25-35). Sominone, an aglycone of withanoside IV, was identified as an active metabolite after oral administration of withanoside IV. We aimed to identify receptors or associated molecules of sominone, and to investigate the effects of sominone on memory in normal mice. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Phosphorylation levels of 71 molecules were compared between control and sominone-stimulated cortical cultured cells to search for target molecules of sominone. Object location memory and neurite density in the brain were evaluated in sominone-injected mice. KEY RESULTS Phosphorylation of RET (a receptor for the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, GDNF) was increased in neurons by sominone, without affecting the synthesis and secretion of GDNF. Knockdown of RET prevented sominone-induced outgrowths of axons and dendrites. After a single i.p. injection of sominone into normal mice, they could better memorize scenery information than control mice. Sixty minutes after sominone injection, RET phosphorylation was increased, particularly in the hippocampus of mice. After the memory tests, the densities of axons and dendrites were increased in the hippocampus by sominone administration. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Sominone could reinforce the morphological plasticity of neurons by activation of the RET pathway and thus enhance memory. Sominone, a compound with low molecular weight, may be a GDNF-independent stimulator of the RET pathway and/or a novel modulator of RET signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Tohda
- Division of Biofunctional Evaluation, Research Center for Ethnomedicine, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
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Hickey JG, Myers SM, Tian X, Zhu SJ, V. Shaw JL, Andrew SD, Richardson DS, Brettschneider J, Mulligan LM. RET-mediated gene expression pattern is affected by isoform but not oncogenic mutation. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2009; 48:429-40. [DOI: 10.1002/gcc.20653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
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21
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Weinreb O, Mandel S, Bar-Am O, Yogev-Falach M, Avramovich-Tirosh Y, Amit T, Youdim MBH. Multifunctional neuroprotective derivatives of rasagiline as anti-Alzheimer's disease drugs. Neurotherapeutics 2009; 6:163-74. [PMID: 19110207 PMCID: PMC5084264 DOI: 10.1016/j.nurt.2008.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent therapeutic approach in which drug candidates are designed to possess diverse pharmacological properties and act on multiple targets has stimulated the development of the multimodal drugs, ladostigil (TV3326) [(N-propargyl-(3R) aminoindan-5yl)-ethyl methyl carbamate] and the newly designed multifunctional antioxidant iron chelator, M-30 (5-[N-methyl-N-propargylaminomethyl]-8-hydroxyquinoline). Ladostigil combines, in a single molecule, the neuroprotective/neurorestorative effects of the novel anti-Parkinsonian drug and selective monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B inhibitor, rasagiline (Azilect, Teva Pharmaceutical Co.) with the cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitory activity of rivastigmine. A second derivative of rasagiline, M-30 was developed by amalgamating the propargyl moiety of rasagiline into the skeleton of our novel brain permeable neuroprotective iron chelator, VK-28. Preclinical experiments showed that both compounds have anti-Alzheimer's disease activities and thus, the clinical development is oriented toward treatment of this type of dementia. This review discusses the multimodal effects of two rasagiline-containing hybrid molecules, namely ladostigil and M-30, concerning their neuroprotective molecular mechanisms in vivo and in vitro, including regulation of amyloid precursor protein processing, activation of protein kinase C, and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways, inhibition of cell death markers and upregulation of neurotrophic factors. Altogether, these scientific findings make these multifunctional compounds potentially valuable drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orly Weinreb
- Eve Topf and USA National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research and Department of Pharmacology, Rappaport Family Research Institute, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, 31096 Haifa, Israel
- grid.6451.60000000121102151Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, P.O.B. 9697, 31096 Haifa, Israel
| | - Silvia Mandel
- Eve Topf and USA National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research and Department of Pharmacology, Rappaport Family Research Institute, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, 31096 Haifa, Israel
- grid.6451.60000000121102151Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, P.O.B. 9697, 31096 Haifa, Israel
| | - Orit Bar-Am
- Eve Topf and USA National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research and Department of Pharmacology, Rappaport Family Research Institute, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, 31096 Haifa, Israel
- grid.6451.60000000121102151Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, P.O.B. 9697, 31096 Haifa, Israel
| | - Merav Yogev-Falach
- Eve Topf and USA National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research and Department of Pharmacology, Rappaport Family Research Institute, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, 31096 Haifa, Israel
- grid.6451.60000000121102151Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, P.O.B. 9697, 31096 Haifa, Israel
| | - Yael Avramovich-Tirosh
- Eve Topf and USA National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research and Department of Pharmacology, Rappaport Family Research Institute, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, 31096 Haifa, Israel
- grid.6451.60000000121102151Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, P.O.B. 9697, 31096 Haifa, Israel
| | - Tamar Amit
- Eve Topf and USA National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research and Department of Pharmacology, Rappaport Family Research Institute, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, 31096 Haifa, Israel
- grid.6451.60000000121102151Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, P.O.B. 9697, 31096 Haifa, Israel
| | - Moussa B. H. Youdim
- Eve Topf and USA National Parkinson Foundation Centers of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research and Department of Pharmacology, Rappaport Family Research Institute, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, 31096 Haifa, Israel
- grid.6451.60000000121102151Department of Pharmacology, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, P.O.B. 9697, 31096 Haifa, Israel
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22
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Yang Y, Houle AM, Letendre J, Richter A. RET Gly691Ser mutation is associated with primary vesicoureteral reflux in the French-Canadian population from Quebec. Hum Mutat 2008; 29:695-702. [PMID: 18273880 DOI: 10.1002/humu.20705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Primary vesicoureteral reflux (pVUR) is a common, genetically heterogeneous congenital urinary tract abnormality in children. It causes urine to flow backward from the bladder to the ureter due to a developmental defect at the vesicoureteral junction, whose formation requires rearrangement during transformation (Ret)-mediated signaling pathways. To study the genetic causes of pVUR in Quebec patients, we used a sequencing-based candidate gene approach to screen the RET gene and found that 83 out of 118 pVUR patients are carriers of the rare A allele of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1799939:G>A that results in a Gly691Ser mutation, a statistically significant increase in allelic frequency, that is absent at six flanking RET SNPs tested. Ser691 is a predicted phosphorylation site and our analysis of transfected cells showed that the Gly691Ser Ret mutant can efficiently interact and associate with a 75-80-kD tyrosine phosphorylated cellular protein, an event not seen with wild-type Ret. This interaction and/or the steric or electric hindrance created by phospho-Ser691 may interfere with the known regulatory functions of the normally phosphorylated phospho-Tyr687 and phospho-Ser696 on the cytoskeleton actin reorganization that are responsible for cell motility and morphology, which consequently may lead to the deficiency in ureteral development observed in pVUR. Our study demonstrates that the Ret Gly691Ser mutation is associated with pVUR and may be one of the genetic causes of this condition in the French-Canadian population in Quebec.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaoming Yang
- Division of Medical Genetics, Hôpital Sainte-Justine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Mère-Enfant, Department of Pediatrics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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23
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Weinreb O, Amit T, Bar-Am O, Youdim MBH. Induction of neurotrophic factors GDNF and BDNF associated with the mechanism of neurorescue action of rasagiline and ladostigil: new insights and implications for therapy. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2008; 1122:155-68. [PMID: 18077571 DOI: 10.1196/annals.1403.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are the most common neurodegenerative disorders, although there is no drug or therapeutic treatment to demonstrate disease-modifying effects. Previous work has proposed that neurodegeneration is linked to a lack of trophic support in those neurons and brain areas associated with PD and AD. Indeed, previous studies have found that neurotrophic factors (NTFs) support neuronal survival in various cellular and animal models of PD and AD. Thus, attention has begun to turn to the possibility of NTF neuroprotective-neurorescue therapies for these diseases, indicating that NTFs may be of significant clinical importance as exogenously supplied or endogenously induced elements that obliterate neuronal deficits and degeneration. We have recently reported that the anti-PD drug rasagiline, the anti-AD drug ladostigil, and their propargyl moiety, propargylamine, enhanced the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, endogenous NTFs associated with activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, protein kinase, and mitogen-activated protein kinase cell signaling/survival pathways. These studies indicate that the induction of NTFs by rasagiline and ladostigil might suppress apoptosis and induce neurorescue in neurodegenerative disorders and may support the drugs' possible disease-modifying mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orly Weinreb
- Department of Pharmacology, Rappaport Family Research Institute, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, P.O. Box 9697, 31096 Haifa, Israel
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24
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Gujral TS, Singh VK, Jia Z, Mulligan LM. Molecular mechanisms of RET receptor-mediated oncogenesis in multiple endocrine neoplasia 2B. Cancer Res 2006; 66:10741-9. [PMID: 17108110 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-3329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Multiple endocrine neoplasia 2B (MEN 2B) is an inherited syndrome of early onset endocrine tumors and developmental anomalies. The disease is caused primarily by a methionine to threonine substitution of residue 918 in the kinase domain of the RET receptor (2B-RET); however, the molecular mechanisms that lead to the disease phenotype are unclear. In this study, we show that the M918T mutation causes a 10-fold increase in ATP binding affinity and leads to a more stable receptor-ATP complex, relative to the wild-type receptor. Further, the M918T mutation alters local protein conformation, correlating with a partial loss of RET kinase autoinhibition. Finally, we show that 2B-RET can dimerize and become autophosphorylated in the absence of ligand stimulation. Our data suggest that multiple distinct but complementary molecular mechanisms underlie the MEN 2B phenotype and provide potential targets for effective therapeutics for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taranjit S Gujral
- Departments of Pathology and Biochemistry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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25
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Asai N, Jijiwa M, Enomoto A, Kawai K, Maeda K, Ichiahara M, Murakumo Y, Takahashi M. RET receptor signaling: dysfunction in thyroid cancer and Hirschsprung's disease. Pathol Int 2006; 56:164-72. [PMID: 16634961 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1827.2006.01942.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Gain-of-function mutations within the receptor tyrosine kinase gene RET cause inherited and non-inherited thyroid cancer. Somatic gene rearrangements of RET have been found in papillary thyroid carcinoma and germline point mutations in multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) types 2A and 2B and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC). Conversely, loss-of-function mutations are responsible for the development of Hirschsprung's disease, a congenital malformation of the enteric nervous system. Comparison between normal RET signaling activated by the RET ligand glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and abnormal RET signaling caused by various mutations has led to a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms. The focus of the present review is on recent progress in the study of RET signaling dysfunction in human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Asai
- Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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26
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de Groot JWB, Links TP, Plukker JTM, Lips CJM, Hofstra RMW. RET as a diagnostic and therapeutic target in sporadic and hereditary endocrine tumors. Endocr Rev 2006; 27:535-60. [PMID: 16849421 DOI: 10.1210/er.2006-0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 228] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The RET gene encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase that is expressed in neural crest-derived cell lineages. The RET receptor plays a crucial role in regulating cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, and survival through embryogenesis. Activating mutations in RET lead to the development of several inherited and noninherited diseases. Germline point mutations are found in the cancer syndromes multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2, including MEN 2A and 2B, and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. These syndromes are autosomal dominantly inherited. The identification of mutations associated with these syndromes has led to genetic testing to identify patients at risk for MEN 2 and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma and subsequent implementation of prophylactic thyroidectomy in mutation carriers. In addition, more than 10 somatic rearrangements of RET have been identified from papillary thyroid carcinomas. These mutations, as those found in MEN 2, induce oncogenic activation of the RET tyrosine kinase domain via different mechanisms, making RET an excellent candidate for the design of molecular targeted therapy. Recently, various kinds of therapeutic approaches, such as tyrosine kinase inhibition, gene therapy with dominant negative RET mutants, monoclonal antibodies against oncogene products, and nuclease-resistant aptamers that recognize and inhibit RET have been developed. The use of these strategies in preclinical models has provided evidence that RET is indeed a potential target for selective cancer therapy. However, a clinically useful therapeutic option for treating patients with RET-associated cancer is still not available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Willem B de Groot
- Department of Endocrinology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
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27
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Hubner RA, Houlston RS. Molecular advances in medullary thyroid cancer diagnostics. Clin Chim Acta 2006; 370:2-8. [PMID: 16519882 DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2006.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2006] [Revised: 01/24/2006] [Accepted: 01/25/2006] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Germline activating mutations in the RET proto-oncogene cause inherited medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) syndrome. Identification of a RET mutation in an individual with MEN2 allows pre-symptomatic genetic testing of other at-risk family members, and guides early intervention to prevent death and serious morbidity from MTC. Developments in the understanding of downstream RET receptor signalling pathways and how activating mutations disturb receptor function has led to insights into the possible molecular mechanisms underlying the different MEN2 phenotypes. Mutation analysis of RET in individuals with MEN2 has identified a number of different mutations, and correlation with cancer biology and clinical outcome has led to tailoring of management according to the mutation detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Hubner
- Institute of Cancer Research, Cancer Genetics, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, SM2 5NG, United Kingdom.
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28
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Abstract
The RET proto-oncogene encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase that is a main component of the signaling pathway activated by the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family ligands. Gene targeting studies revealed that signaling through RET plays a crucial role in neuronal and renal organogenesis. It is well-known that germline mutations in RET lead to the human inherited diseases, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2) and Hirschsprung's disease, and that somatic rearrangements of RET cause papillary thyroid carcinoma. Due to marked advances in understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the development of MEN 2, a consensus on MEN 2 management associated with RET status is being reached and currently put into general use as a guideline. In this review, we summarize progress in the study of RET from bench to bedside, focusing on pathophysiology of neuroendocrine tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiki Murakumo
- Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
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29
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Jung HS, Kim DW, Jo YS, Chung HK, Song JH, Park JS, Park KC, Park SH, Hwang JH, Jo KW, Shong M. Regulation of Protein Kinase B Tyrosine Phosphorylation by Thyroid-Specific Oncogenic RET/PTC Kinases. Mol Endocrinol 2005; 19:2748-59. [PMID: 15994200 DOI: 10.1210/me.2005-0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a heterogenous disorder characterized by unique gene rearrangements and gene mutations that activate signaling pathways responsible for cellular transformation, survival, and antiapoptosis. Activation of protein kinase B (PKB) and its downstream signaling pathways appears to be an important event in thyroid tumorigenesis. In this study, we found that the thyroid-specific oncogenic RET/PTC tyrosine kinase is able to phosphorylate PKB in vitro and in vivo. RET/PTC-transfected cells showed tyrosine phosphorylation of endogenous and exogenous PKB, which was independent of phosphorylation of T308 and S473 regulated by the upstream kinases phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 and -2, respectively. The PKB Y315 residue, which is known to be phosphorylated by Src tyrosine kinase, was also a major site of phosphorylation by RET/PTC. RET/PTC-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation results in the activation of PKB kinase activity. The activation of PKB by RET/PTC blocked the activity of the forkhead transcription factor, FKHRL1, but a Y315F mutant of PKB failed to inhibit FKHRL1 activity. In summary, these observations suggest that RET/PTC is able to phosphorylate the Y315 residue of PKB, an event that results in maximal activation of PKB for RET/PTC-induced thyroid tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye Sook Jung
- Laboratory of Endocrine Cell Biology, National Research Laboratory Program, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, 640 Daesadong Chungku, Daejeon 301-721, Korea
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30
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Arighi E, Borrello MG, Sariola H. RET tyrosine kinase signaling in development and cancer. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 2005; 16:441-67. [PMID: 15982921 DOI: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2005.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 308] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
The variety of diseases caused by mutations in RET receptor tyrosine kinase provides a classic example of phenotypic heterogeneity. Gain-of-function mutations of RET are associated with human cancer. Gene rearrangements juxtaposing the tyrosine kinase domain to heterologous gene partners have been found in sporadic papillary carcinomas of the thyroid (PTC). These rearrangements generate chimeric RET/PTC oncogenes. In the germline, point mutations of RET are responsible for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2A and 2B) and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC). Both MEN 2 mutations and PTC gene rearrangements potentiate the intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity of RET and, ultimately, activate the RET downstream targets. Loss-of-function mutations of RET cause Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) or colonic aganglionosis. A deeper understanding of the molecular signaling of normal versus abnormal RET activity in cancer will enable the development of potential new treatments for patients with sporadic and inherited thyroid cancer or MEN 2 syndrome. We now review the role and mechanisms of RET signaling in development and carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Arighi
- Developmental Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Finland
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31
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Read RD, Goodfellow PJ, Mardis ER, Novak N, Armstrong JR, Cagan RL. A Drosophila model of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2. Genetics 2005; 171:1057-81. [PMID: 15965261 PMCID: PMC1456812 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.104.038018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dominant mutations in the Ret receptor tyrosine kinase lead to the familial cancer syndrome multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2). Mammalian tissue culture studies suggest that RetMEN2 mutations significantly alter Ret-signaling properties, but the precise mechanisms by which RetMEN2 promotes tumorigenesis remain poorly understood. To determine the signal transduction pathways required for RetMEN2 activity, we analyzed analogous mutations in the Drosophila Ret ortholog dRet. Overexpressed dRetMEN2 isoforms targeted to the developing retina led to aberrant cell proliferation, inappropriate cell fate specification, and excessive Ras pathway activation. Genetic analysis indicated that dRetMEN2 acts through the Ras-ERK, Src, and Jun kinase pathways. A genetic screen for mutations that dominantly suppress or enhance dRetMEN2 phenotypes identified new genes that are required for the phenotypic outcomes of dRetMEN2 activity. Finally, we identified human orthologs for many of these genes and examined their status in human tumors. Two of these loci showed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) within both sporadic and MEN2-associated pheochromocytomas, suggesting that they may contribute to Ret-dependent oncogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee D Read
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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Kouvaraki MA, Shapiro SE, Perrier ND, Cote GJ, Gagel RF, Hoff AO, Sherman SI, Lee JE, Evans DB. RET proto-oncogene: a review and update of genotype-phenotype correlations in hereditary medullary thyroid cancer and associated endocrine tumors. Thyroid 2005; 15:531-44. [PMID: 16029119 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2005.15.531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Hereditary medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is caused by autosomal dominant gain-of-function mutations in the RET proto-oncogene. Associations between specific RET mutations (genotype) and the aggressiveness of MTC and presence or absence of other endocrine neoplasms (phenotype) are well documented. Mutations in six exons (10, 11, 13, 14, 15, and 16) located in either cysteine-rich or tyrosine kinase domains cause one of three distinctive clinical subtypes: familial MTC, multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2A (including variants with Hirschsprung's disease and cutaneous lichen amyloidosis), and MEN 2B. Hallmarks of MEN 2A include MTC, pheochromocytoma, and hyperparathyroidism. MEN 2B is associated with an earlier onset of MTC and pheochromocytoma, the absence of hyperparathyroidism, and the presence of striking physical stigmata (e.g., coarse facies, ganglioneuromatosis, and marfanoid habitus). Familial MTC is not associated with other endocrine neoplasms; however, the accurate distinction between familial MTC and MEN 2A may be difficult in kindreds with small size, incomplete histories, or a predominance of young individuals who may not have yet fully manifested the syndrome. Genetic testing detects greater than 95% of mutation carriers and is considered the standard of care for all first-degree relatives of patients with newly diagnosed MTC. Recommendations on the timing of prophylactic thyroidectomy and the extent of surgery are based upon a model that utilizes genotype- phenotype correlations to stratify mutations into three risk levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Kouvaraki
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77230-1402, USA
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Kodama Y, Asai N, Kawai K, Jijiwa M, Murakumo Y, Ichihara M, Takahashi M. The RET proto-oncogene: a molecular therapeutic target in thyroid cancer. Cancer Sci 2005; 96:143-8. [PMID: 15771616 PMCID: PMC11159891 DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2005.00023.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The RET proto-oncogene is responsible for the development of several human inherited and non-inherited diseases. Germline point mutations were identified in multiple endocrine neoplasia types 2A and 2B, and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. More than 10 rearranged forms of RET, referred to as RET/PTC 1-9, ELKS/RET and RFP/RET, have been cloned from sporadic and radiation-associated papillary thyroid carcinomas. These mutations induced oncogenic activation of RET tyrosine kinase by different mechanisms. To date, various kinds of therapeutic approaches have been developed for the treatment of RET-associated cancers, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, gene therapy with dominant negative RET mutants, and RNA interference to abrogate oncogenic mutant RET expression. RET and some signaling molecules that function downstream of RET could be potential targets for the development of selective cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshinori Kodama
- Department of Pathology, Center for Neurological Disease and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho Showa-ku Nagoya, 466-8550, Japan
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Maeda K, Murakami H, Yoshida R, Ichihara M, Abe A, Hirai M, Murohara T, Takahashi M. Biochemical and biological responses induced by coupling of Gab1 to phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in RET-expressing cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2004; 323:345-54. [PMID: 15351743 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.08.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Grb2-associated binder-1 (Gab1) is a docking protein closely related to insulin receptor substrates. We previously reported that tyrosine 1062 in RET receptor tyrosine kinase activated by glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) represents a binding site for the Shc-Grb2-Gab1 complex, and that the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and SHP2 tyrosine phosphatase is associated with Gab1 in GDNF-treated cells. In the present study, we further analyzed the physiological roles of Gab1 downstream of RET, using Gab1 mutants that lack the binding sites for PI3K (Gab1 PI3K-m) or SHP-2 (Gab1 SHP2-m). Expression of Gab1 PI3K-m in SK-N-MC human primitive neuroectodermal tumor cells expressing wild-type RET markedly impaired Akt phosphorylation, Rac1 activation, and lamellipodia formation that were induced by GDNF whereas expression of Gab1 SHP2-m partially impaired Erk activation. Furthermore, expression of Gab1 PI3K-m, but not Gab1 SHP2-m, in TT human medullary thyroid carcinoma cells expressing RET with a multiple endocrine neoplasia 2A mutation enhanced cytochrome c release, and apoptosis induced by etoposide, suggesting that PI3K is involved in survival of TT cells via a mitochondrial pathway. These findings demonstrated that coupling of Gab1 to PI3K is important for biological responses in RET-expressing cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kengo Maeda
- Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
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Abstract
RET is a transmembrane receptor required for the development of neuroendocrine and urogenital cell types. Activation of RET has roles in cell growth, migration, or differentiation, yet little is known about the gene expression patterns through which these processes are mediated. We have generated cell lines stably expressing either the RET9 or RET51 protein isoforms and have used these to investigate RET-mediated gene expression patterns by cDNA microarray analyses. As seen for many oncogenes, we identified altered expression of genes associated generally with cell-cell or cell-substrate interactions and up-regulation of tumor-specific transcripts. We also saw increased expression of transcripts normally associated with neural crest or other RET-expressing cell types, suggesting these genes may lie downstream of RET activation in development. The most striking pattern of expression was up-regulation of stress response genes. We showed that RET expression significantly up-regulated the genes for heat shock protein (HSP) 70 family members, HSPA1A, HSPA1B, and HSPA1L. Other members of several HSP families and HSP70-interacting molecules that were associated with stress response protein complexes involved in protein maturation were also specifically up-regulated by RET, whereas those associated with the roles of HSP70 in protein degradation were down-regulated or unaffected. The major mechanism of stress response induction is activation of the heat shock transcription factor HSF1. We showed that RET expression leads to increased HSF1 activation, which correlates with increased expression of stress response genes. Together, our data suggest that RET may be directly responsible for expression of stress response proteins and the initiation of stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirley M Myers
- Division of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Queen's Cancer Research Institute, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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Kawai K, Jijiwa M, Shimono Y, Kurokawa K, Murakumo Y, Ichihara M, Takahashi M. Establishment and characterization of mouse mammary carcinoma cell lines expressing RET with a multiple endocrine neoplasia 2A mutation. Cancer Sci 2003; 94:992-7. [PMID: 14611677 PMCID: PMC11160287 DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2003.tb01390.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2003] [Revised: 09/18/2003] [Accepted: 09/29/2003] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently generated transgenic mice expressing the RET proto-oncogene with a multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A mutation (RET-MEN2A). Mammary tumors with frequent lung metastasis were developed in 22% of female transgenic mice in a stochastic fashion. In the current study, we established two cell lines (named MKK-f and MKK-s) from mammary tumors developed in RET-MEN2A transgenic mice. MKK-f and MKK-s were derived from well-differentiated ductal carcinoma and sarcomatous spindle cell carcinoma, respectively. MKK-f cells show epithelial-like morphology with a doubling time of 19 h, and MKK-s cells show spindle-shaped morphology with a doubling time of 15 h. When inoculated in immunodeficient mice, both cell lines were tumorigenic, metastasized to the lung and displayed histological features similar to those of the primary tumors. They maintained a high level of RET expression and activation of signaling molecules downstream of RET. Consistent with the histological phenotype, expression of E-cadherin was almost undetectable in MKK-s cells, whereas its expression was very high in MKK-f cells. When the difference of gene expression between the two cell lines was analyzed using cDNA microarrays including approximately 900 genes/ESTs, a total of 21 up- or down-regulated (> 2.0-fold) genes were identified. Differentially regulated genes included thymosin beta-10, fibroblast growth factor receptor 4, aldo-keto reductase and caspase 6 genes, which are known to be associated with tumor development and progression. These results may reflect the profiles of the transcriptional changes associated with dedifferentiation or progression of mammary carcinomas developed in genetically engineered mice.
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MESH Headings
- Alcohol Oxidoreductases/genetics
- Alcohol Oxidoreductases/metabolism
- Aldehyde Reductase
- Aldo-Keto Reductases
- Animals
- Cadherins/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Ductal/genetics
- Carcinoma, Ductal/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Ductal/pathology
- Caspase 6
- Caspases/genetics
- Caspases/metabolism
- Cell Differentiation
- Female
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Humans
- Lung Neoplasms/genetics
- Lung Neoplasms/metabolism
- Lung Neoplasms/secondary
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/genetics
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology
- Mice
- Mice, SCID
- Mice, Transgenic
- Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2a/genetics
- Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2a/pathology
- Mutation
- Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
- Proto-Oncogene Mas
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins/metabolism
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret
- Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics
- Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/metabolism
- Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 4
- Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor/genetics
- Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor/metabolism
- Sarcoma/genetics
- Sarcoma/metabolism
- Sarcoma/pathology
- Thymosin/genetics
- Thymosin/metabolism
- Tumor Cells, Cultured/transplantation
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumi Kawai
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Center for Neural Disease and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550
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D'Alessio A, Califano D, Incoronato M, Santelli G, Florio T, Schettini G, Carlomagno MS, Cerchia L, de Franciscis V. The tyrosine phosphatase Shp-2 mediates intracellular signaling initiated by Ret mutants. Endocrinology 2003; 144:4298-305. [PMID: 12959980 DOI: 10.1210/en.2003-0620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The Src homology 2-containing tyrosine phosphatase, Shp-2, is a crucial enzyme that mediates intracellular signaling and is implicated in cell proliferation and differentiation. Here we investigated the involvement of the Shp-2 tyrosine phosphatase in determining the downstream signaling pathways initiated by the Ret oncogene, carrying either the cysteine 634 to tyrosine or the methionine 918 to threonine substitutions. These mutations convert the receptor tyrosine kinase, Ret, into a dominant transforming protein and induce constitutive activation of its intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity leading to congenital and sporadic cancers in neuroendocrine organs. Using the PC12, rat pheochromocytoma cell line, as model system, we show that Shp-2 mediates immediate-early gene expression if induced by either of the mutant alleles. Furthermore, we show that Shp-2 activity is required for RetM918T-induced Akt activation. The results indicate that Shp-2 is a downstream mediator of the mutated receptors RetC634Y and RetM918T, thus suggesting that it may act as a limiting factor in Ret-associated endocrine tumors, in the neoplastic syndromes multiple endocrine neoplasia types 2A and 2B.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D'Alessio
- Oncologia Sperimentale E, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy
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Kurokawa K, Kawai K, Hashimoto M, Ito Y, Takahashi M. Cell signalling and gene expression mediated by RET tyrosine kinase. J Intern Med 2003; 253:627-33. [PMID: 12755958 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2796.2003.01167.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Germline mutations of the RET proto-oncogene cause multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) 2A or 2B by different mechanisms. As is the case for other receptor tyrosine kinases, mutant RET recruits a variety of signalling molecules via phosphorylated tyrosine residues present in the kinase domain and carboxy-terminal tail. As we previously reported, the signaling via phosphorylated tyrosine 1062 plays a crucial role in the transforming activities of both RET-MEN2A and RET-MEN2B mutant protein. Interestingly, this single tyrosine residue represents a binding site for several signalling molecules including SHC, Enigma, SNT/FRS2, DOK and IRS1 and is responsible for activation of the RAS/ERK, PI3-K/AKT, JNK, p38MAPK and ERK5 signalling pathways. Amongst these, the PI3-K/AKT and JNK pathways appeared to be more strongly activated in the cells expressing RET-MEN2B than in the cells expressing RET-MEN2A, suggesting the possibility that these pathways may be involved in the disease phenotype. In addition, RET is alternatively spliced to produce three isoforms and the splicing site is present just downstream of tyrosine 1062. These isoforms play different roles for the tumour development associated with MEN 2 or the development of the kidney and the enteric nervous system. Moreover, using differential display analysis, we identified several genes whose expression is highly induced by RET-MEN2B mutant proteins. The differential gene expression by RET-MEN2A and RET-MEN2B may also be important for the development of their phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Kurokawa
- Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Japan
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Alberti L, Carniti C, Miranda C, Roccato E, Pierotti MA. RET and NTRK1 proto-oncogenes in human diseases. J Cell Physiol 2003; 195:168-86. [PMID: 12652644 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.10252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
RET and NTRK1 are receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) proteins which play a role in the development and maturation of specific component of the nervous system. Their alterations have been associated to several human diseases, including some forms of cancer and developmental abnormalities. These features have contributed to the concept that one gene can be responsible for more than one disease. Moreover, both genes encoding for the two RTKs show genetic alterations that belong to either "gain of function" or "loss of function" class of mutations. In fact, receptor rearrangements or point mutations convert RET and NTRK1 in dominantly acting transforming genes leading to thyroid tumors, whereas inactivating mutations, associated with Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) and congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), impair RET and NTRK1 functions, respectively. In this review we have summarized the main features of the two receptors, their physiological and pathological roles. In addition, we attempted to identify the correlations between the different genetic alterations and the related pathogenetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisella Alberti
- Operative Unit Molecular Mechanisms of Tumor Growth and Progression, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy
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40
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Frilling A, Weber F, Tecklenborg C, Broelsch CE. Prophylactic thyroidectomy in multiple endocrine neoplasia: the impact of molecular mechanisms of RET proto-oncogene. Langenbecks Arch Surg 2003; 388:17-26. [PMID: 12690476 DOI: 10.1007/s00423-003-0368-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2003] [Accepted: 02/23/2003] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2, a cancer syndrome inherited in the dominant fashion, is defined by the occurrence of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), either as a singular lesion (familial medullary thyroid carcinoma, FMTC) or with the variable expression of pheochromocytoma, hyperparathyroidism (MEN 2A), ganglioneuromas, buccal neuromas and Marfanoid-like phenotype (MEN 2B). DISCUSSION Germline mutations of the RET proto-oncogene, localized on chromosome 10q11.2, have been identified as the underlying genetic cause of the disorder. In the majority of patients with MEN 2A/FMTC missense mutations at exon 10 or exon 11 are identifiable. Cysteine to arginine exchange at codon 634 is the mutation most frequently found. In MEN 2B approximately 95% of patients present with a mutation at codon 918 (exon 16). Additionally, less frequent mutations in other codons have been found in both syndromes. The DNA-based genotype analysis enables the identification of gene carriers at risk of developing MTC and offer them prophylactic thyroidectomy prior to development of any thyroid pathologies. Prophylactic surgery is generally recommended for MEN 2A/FMTC gene carriers at the age of 4-6 years. Due to the aggressiveness of the MEN 2B syndrome gene carriers should be operated by the age of 1 year. Presumably some less virulent mutations allow postponement of the prophylactic treatment to the second to fourth decade of life. CONCLUSIONS Compared to standard presymptomatic biochemical screening, genetic testing and consecutive prophylactic treatment contribute to better outcome of individuals at risk for MTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Frilling
- Klinik für Allgemein- und Transplantationschirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122 Essen, Germany.
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Hashimoto K, Matsumura I, Tsujimura T, Kim DK, Ogihara H, Ikeda H, Ueda S, Mizuki M, Sugahara H, Shibayama H, Kitamura Y, Kanakura Y. Necessity of tyrosine 719 and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase-mediated signal pathway in constitutive activation and oncogenic potential of c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase with the Asp814Val mutation. Blood 2003; 101:1094-102. [PMID: 12393643 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2002-01-0177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Substitution of valine (Val) for aspartic acid (Asp) at codon 814 constitutively activates murine c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT), and Asp816Val mutation, corresponding to murine Asp814Val mutation, is found in patients with mastocytosis and acute myelocytic leukemia. However, the signal transduction pathways responsible for oncogenesis by the Asp814Val mutant (KIT(Val814)) are not fully understood. To examine the oncogenic signal transduction of KIT(Val814), we converted 20 tyrosine (Tyr) residues to phenylalanine (Phe) in the cytoplasmic domain of KIT(Val814) or deleted the C-terminal region containing 2 other tyrosine residues (Del). Among various KIT(Val814)- derived mutants, KIT(Val814-Tyr719Phe) and KIT(Val814-Del) severely impaired receptor tyrosine phosphorylation and association with the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (p85 (PI3-K)). Moreover, KIT(Val814-Tyr719Phe) and KIT(Val814-Del) failed to induce ligand-independent growth in Ba/F3 cells, indicating that Tyr719, the binding site for p85(PI3-K), and the C-terminal region are indispensable for factor-independent growth by KIT(Val814). Although the C-terminal region was also required for ligand-dependent growth by wild-type KIT (KIT(WT)), the Tyr719Phe substitution had negligible effects on ligand-dependent growth by KIT(WT). Furthermore, dominant-negative PI3-K significantly inhibited ligand-independent growth by KIT(Val814). These results demonstrate that Tyr719 is crucial for constitutive activation of KIT(Val814), but not for the ligand-induced activation of KIT(WT), and that the downstream signaling of PI3-K plays an important role in ligand-independent growth and tumorigenicity by KIT(Val814), thereby suggesting that KIT(Val814) is a unique activating mutation that leads to a distinguishable function from the effects of KIT(WT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Koji Hashimoto
- Department of Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
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42
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Chau CH, Chen KY, Deng HT, Kim KJ, Hosoya KI, Terasaki T, Shih HM, Ann DK. Coordinating Etk/Bmx activation and VEGF upregulation to promote cell survival and proliferation. Oncogene 2002; 21:8817-29. [PMID: 12483534 DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1206032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2002] [Revised: 08/30/2002] [Accepted: 09/05/2002] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Etk/Bmx, a member of the Tec family of non-receptor tyrosine kinase, is characterized by an N-terminal PH domain and has recently been shown to be involved in the regulation of various cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, motility and apoptosis. Since VEGF and the activation of its signaling pathway have been implicated in modulating a variety of biological responses, we characterized the role of Etk-dependent signaling pathways involved in the upregulation of VEGF expression, and explored the functional implications of this enhancement in sustaining cell proliferation and survival. Using Northern and Western analyses, transient transfections, and pharmacological agents, we demonstrate that Etk activation alone is sufficient to transcriptionally induce VEGF expression, independent of the previously identified hypoxia response element (HRE), in both Pa-4 epithelial and TR-BBB endothelial cells under normoxia. In addition, Etk utilizes both MEK/ERK and PI3-K/Pak1 signaling pathways in concert to activate VEGF transcription. Functionally, Etk activation elicits a profound stimulatory effect on TR-BBB cell proliferation and formation of capillary-like networks in Matrigel containing reduced levels of growth factors. Finally, antisense oligonucleotides against either endogenous VEGF or Etk abrogate the proliferation of Etk-activated TR-BBB cells, and exogenous VEGF treatment stimulates endogenous Etk tyrosine phosphorylation in HUVECs. Taken together, these results indicate that VEGF is both an Etk downstream target gene and an Etk upstream activator, constituting a reciprocal Etk-VEGF autoregulatory loop. These findings, to our knowledge, are the first delineation of a network of positive feedforward signaling pathways that converge on the Etk-VEGF axis, causally associating Etk-mediation of VEGF induction with enhanced cellular processes in both epithelial and endothelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy H Chau
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, CA 90033, USA
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43
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Murakami H, Yamamura Y, Shimono Y, Kawai K, Kurokawa K, Takahashi M. Role of Dok1 in cell signaling mediated by RET tyrosine kinase. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:32781-90. [PMID: 12087092 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m202336200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a yeast two-hybrid screen, we identified Dok1 as a docking protein for RET tyrosine kinase. Dok1 bound more strongly to RET with a multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) 2B mutation than RET with a MEN2A mutation and was highly phosphorylated in the cells expressing the former mutant protein. Analysis by site-directed mutagenesis revealed that tyrosine 361 in mouse Dok1 represents a binding site for the Nck adaptor protein and tyrosines 295, 314, 361, 376, 397, and 408 for the Ras-GTPase-activating protein. We replaced tyrosine 361 or these six tyrosines with phenylalanine (designated Y361F or 6F) in Dok1 and introduced the mutant Dok1 genes into the cells expressing the wild-type RET or RET-MEN2B protein. Overexpression of Dok1 or Dok1-Y361F, but not Dok1-6F, suppressed the Ras/Erk activation induced by glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor or RET-MEN2B, implying that this inhibitory effect requires the Ras-GTPase-activating protein binding to Dok1. In contrast, overexpression of Dok1, but not Dok1-Y361F or Dok1-6F, enhanced the c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) and c-Jun activation. This suggested that the association of Nck to tyrosine 361 in Dok1 is necessary for the JNK and c-Jun activation by glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor or RET-MEN2B. Because a high level of the JNK phosphorylation was observed in the cells expressing RET-MEN2B, its strong activation via Nck binding to Dok1 may be responsible for aggressive properties of medullary thyroid carcinoma developed in MEN 2B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Murakami
- Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
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Abstract
SH2/SH3 domain-containing adapter proteins, such as the Nck family, play a major role in regulating tyrosine kinase signalling. They serve to recruit proline-rich effector molecules to tyrosine-phosphorylated kinases or their substrates. Initially, it was not clear why cells from nematodes to vertebrates contain redundant and closely related SH2/SH3 adapters, such as Grb2, Crk and Nck. Recent evidence suggests that their biological roles are clearly different, whereas, for example, Grb2 connects activated receptor tyrosine kinases to Sos and Ras, leading to cell proliferation. The proteins of Nck family are implicated in organisation of actin cytoskeleton, cell movement or axon guidance in flies. In this review, the author attempts to summarise signalling pathways in which Nck plays a critical role.
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Affiliation(s)
- László Buday
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Semmelweis University Medical School, 9 Puskin Str., 1088, Budapest, Hungary.
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Watanabe T, Ichihara M, Hashimoto M, Shimono K, Shimoyama Y, Nagasaka T, Murakumo Y, Murakami H, Sugiura H, Iwata H, Ishiguro N, Takahashi M. Characterization of gene expression induced by RET with MEN2A or MEN2B mutation. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2002; 161:249-56. [PMID: 12107109 PMCID: PMC1850689 DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9440(10)64176-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Germ-line point mutations of the RET gene are responsible for multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2A and 2B that develop medullary thyroid carcinoma and pheochromocytoma. We performed a differential display analysis of gene expression using NIH 3T3 cells expressing the RET-MEN2A or RET-MEN2B mutant proteins. As a consequence, we identified 10 genes induced by both mutant proteins and eight genes repressed by them. The inducible genes include cyclin D1, cathepsins B and L, and cofilin genes that are known to be involved in cell growth, tumor progression, and invasion. In contrast, the repressed genes include type I collagen, lysyl oxidase, annexin I, and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) genes that have been implicated in tumor suppression. In addition, six RET-MEN2A- and five RET-MEN2B-inducible genes were identified. Among 21 genes induced by RET-MEN2A and/or RET-MEN2B, six genes including cyclin D1, cathepsin B, cofilin, ring finger protein 11 (RNF11), integrin-alpha6, and stanniocalcin 1 (STC1) genes were also induced in TGW human neuroblastoma cells in response to glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor stimulation. Because the STC1 gene was found to be highly induced by both RET-MEN2B and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor stimulation, and the expression of its product was detected in medullary thyroid carcinoma with the MEN2B mutation by immunohistochemistry, this may suggest a possible role for STC1 in the development of MEN 2B phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Watanabe
- Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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Iwahashi N, Murakami H, Nimura Y, Takahashi M. Activation of RET tyrosine kinase regulates interleukin-8 production by multiple signaling pathways. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2002; 294:642-9. [PMID: 12056817 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-291x(02)00528-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is known to contribute to human cancer progression through its potential function as a mitogenic, angiogenic, or motogenic factor. We found a high level of IL-8 production in SK-N-MC human primitive neuroectodermal tumor cells transfected with the human RET gene (SK-N-MC (RET) cells) in response to glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) stimulation. IL-8 was also produced at high levels in TT human medullary thyroid carcinoma and TPC-1 human papillary thyroid carcinoma cell lines both of which express activated RET tyrosine kinase. To investigate which signaling pathways are responsible for IL-8 expression, we treated SK-N-MC (RET) cells with several kinase inhibitors before GDNF stimulation. The results showed that a MEK1 inhibitor, PD98059, a p38MAPK inhibitor, SB202190, and a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, Calphostin C, markedly decreased the IL-8 secretion from SK-N-MC (RET) cells at 24 h after GDNF stimulation. In contrast, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) inhibitor, LY294002, increased its secretion. These results thus suggested that IL-8 production by RET tyrosine kinase is regulated by multiple signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoko Iwahashi
- Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
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Fukuda T, Kiuchi K, Takahashi M. Novel mechanism of regulation of Rac activity and lamellipodia formation by RET tyrosine kinase. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:19114-21. [PMID: 11886862 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m200643200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Rac activation in neuronal cells plays an important role in lamellipodia formation that is a critical event for neuritogenesis. It is well known that the Rac activity is regulated via activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) by a variety of receptor tyrosine kinases. Here we show that increased serine phosphorylation on RET receptor tyrosine kinase following cAMP elevation promotes lamellipodia formation of neuronal cells induced by glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). We identified serine 696 in RET as a putative phosphorylation site by protein kinase A and found that mutation of this serine almost completely inhibited lamellipodia formation by GDNF without affecting activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Mutation of tyrosine 1062 in RET, whose phosphorylation is crucial for activation of PI3K, also inhibited lamellipodia formation by GDNF. Inhibition of lamellipodia formation by mutation of either serine 696 or tyrosine 1062 was associated with decrease of the Rac1-guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) activity, suggesting that this activity is regulated by two different signaling pathways via serine 696 and tyrosine 1062 in RET. Moreover, in the presence of serine 696 mutation, lamellipodia formation was rescued by replacing tyrosine 687 with phenylalanine. These findings propose a novel mechanism that receptor tyrosine kinase modulates actin dynamics in neuronal cells via its cAMP-dependent phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshifumi Fukuda
- Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Japan
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49
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Katso R, Okkenhaug K, Ahmadi K, White S, Timms J, Waterfield MD. Cellular function of phosphoinositide 3-kinases: implications for development, homeostasis, and cancer. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 2002; 17:615-75. [PMID: 11687500 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.17.1.615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 925] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) family of enzymes is recruited upon growth factor receptor activation and produces 3' phosphoinositide lipids. The lipid products of PI3K act as second messengers by binding to and activating diverse cellular target proteins. These events constitute the start of a complex signaling cascade, which ultimately results in the mediation of cellular activities such as proliferation, differentiation, chemotaxis, survival, trafficking, and glucose homeostasis. Therefore, PI3Ks play a central role in many cellular functions. The factors that determine which cellular function is mediated are complex and may be partly attributed to the diversity that exists at each level of the PI3K signaling cascade, such as the type of stimulus, the isoform of PI3K, or the nature of the second messenger lipids. Numerous studies have helped to elucidate some of the key factors that determine cell fate in the context of PI3K signaling. For example, the past two years has seen the publication of many transgenic and knockout mouse studies where either PI3K or its signaling components are deregulated. These models have helped to build a picture of the role of PI3K in physiology and indeed there have been a number of surprises. This review uses such models as a framework to build a profile of PI3K function within both the cell and the organism and focuses, in particular, on the role of PI3K in cell regulation, immunity, and development. The evidence for the role of deregulated PI3K signaling in diseases such as cancer and diabetes is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Katso
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, 91 Riding House Street, London, W1W 7BS, England.
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50
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Abstract
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and related molecules, neurturin, artemin and persephin, signal through a unique multicomponent receptor system consisting of RET tyrosine kinase and glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored coreceptor (GFRalpha1-4). These neurotrophic factors promote the survival of various neurons including peripheral autonomic and sensory neurons as well as central motor and dopamine neurons, and have been expected as therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, it turned out that the GDNF/RET signaling plays a crucial role in renal development and regulation of spermatogonia differentiation. RET mutations cause several human diseases such as papillary thyroid carcinoma, multiple endocrine neoplasia types 2A and 2B, and Hirschsprung's disease. The mutations resulted in RET activation or inactivation by various mechanisms and the biological properties of mutant proteins appeared to be correlated with disease phenotypes. The signaling pathways activated by GDNF or mutant RET are being extensively investigated to understand the molecular mechanisms of disease development and the physiological roles of the GDNF family ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Takahashi
- Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
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