title: Up-regulation of focal adhesion kinase in non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase linked to the integrin and growth factor receptor-signalling pathways that regulates a number of the biological processes involved in neoplastic transformation, invasion and metastases, such as cell adhesion, migration and apoptosis. Its up-regulation might play a role in the tumourigenesis of invasive tumours, but its involvement in human lung cancer tissues has not yet been determined. We immunohistochemically compared FAK expression and localisation in 60 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues with that in the surrounding non-neoplastic tissue and in a further five microscopically normal lungs. FAK mRNA levels were quantitatively determined by real-time RT-PCR in frozen tissue specimens of all of the tumours and 21 matched non-neoplastic lung parenchymas, and protein expression in 16 homogenates of the matched neoplastic/non-neoplastic specimens was evaluated by Western blotting. The three different techniques showed that FAK is weakly expressed in non-neoplastic lung parenchyma and up-regulated in NSCLCs. Moreover, Western blotting and real-time RT-PCR indicated a statistically significant correlation between FAK up-regulation and higher disease stages (I+II versus III+IV, p=0.019 and 0.028, respectively). Our results provide evidence that FAK is up-regulated in NSCLCs, and suggest its potential involvement in lung cancer progression.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Milan, Polo H. San Paolo, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Stephana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carelli
authors.forename: Giorgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zadra
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vaira
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falleni
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bottiglieri
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nosotti
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Di Giulio
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gorio
authors.forename: Silvano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bosari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases