title: Cell signalling and radiation survival: the impact of protein phosphatases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This review will examine the role of phosphatases in cancer cell signalling and also outline emerging findings regarding the influence of phosphatases on tumor cell survival after ionising radiation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The exposure of tumour cells to clinically relevant doses of ionising radiation causes DNA damage and rapidly activates a series of signaling cascades involved in cell survival (reviewed in (Valerie et al. 2007 )). The role of kinases in this signalling has been extensively studied, but the role of phosphatases is less well defined. There is an abundance of literature implicating phosphatases in cell cycle control, cell growth and survival but there has been much less reported on the involvement of these enzymes as determinants of radiosensitivity. Recent studies, however, suggest that phosphatases may modulate tumor cell radiosensitivity and may be targets for the enhancement of radiotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Oxford University, Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology & Biology, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Bernhard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D011836:Radiation Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases