Protein-tyrosine kinases (PTKs) are important regulators of intracellular signal-transduction pathways mediating development and multicellular communication in metazoans Their activity is normally tightly controlled and regulated Perturbation of PTK signalling by mutations and other genetic alterations results in deregulated kinase activity and malignant transformation The lipid kinase phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI(3)K) and some of its downstream targets, such as the protein-serine/threonine kinases Akt and p70 S6 kinase (p70S6K), are crucial effectors in oncogenic PTK signalling This review emphasizes how oncogenic conversion of protein kinases results from perturbation of the normal autoinhibitory constraints on kinase activity and provides an update on our knowledge about the role of deregulated PI(3)K/Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin/p70S6K signalling in human malignancies

Oncogenic kinase signalling

Diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors: A consensus approach.

A central aim of cancer research has been to identify the mutated genes that are causally implicated in oncogenesis ('cancer genes'). After two decades of searching, how many have been identified and how do they compare to the complete gene set that has been revealed by the human genome sequence? We have conducted a 'census' of cancer genes that indicates that mutations in more than 1% of genes contribute to human cancer. The census illustrates striking features in the types of sequence alteration, cancer classes in which oncogenic mutations have been identified and protein domains that are encoded by cancer genes.

A census of human cancer genes

ObjectiveTo analyze the outcome of 200 patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) who were treated at a single institution and followed up prospectively.Summary Background DataA GIST is a visceral sarcoma that arises from the gastrointestinal tract. Surgical resection is the mainstay of tre

https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=soe_research

Two hundred gastrointestinal stromal tumors: recurrence patterns and prognostic factors for survival.

Efficacy and safety of sunitinib in patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumour after failure of imatinib: a randomised controlled trial

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors in the human digestive tract, but their molecular etiology and cellular origin are unknown. Sequencing of c-kit complementary DNA, which encodes a proto-oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT), from five GISTs revealed mutations in the region between the transmembrane and tyrosine kinase domains. All of the corresponding mutant KIT proteins were constitutively activated without the KIT ligand, stem cell factor (SCF). Stable transfection of the mutant c-kit complementary DNAs induced malignant transformation of Ba/F3 murine lymphoid cells, suggesting that the mutations contribute to tumor development. GISTs may originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) because the development of ICCs is dependent on the SCF-KIT interaction and because, like GISTs, these cells express both KIT and CD34.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/279/5350/577.full.pdf

Akihiko Kurata

Papers

Gain-of-function mutations of c-kit in human gastrointestinal stromal tumors.