title: Ste20-like kinase SLK, at the crossroads: a matter of life and death.
abstract: Reorganization of the cytoskeleton is necessary for apoptosis, proliferation, migration, development and tissue repair. However, it is well established that mutations or overexpression of key regulators contribute to the phenotype and progression of several pathologies such as cancer. For instance, c-src mutations and the overexpression of FAK have been implicated in the invasive and metastatic process, suggesting that components of the motility system may represent a new class of therapeutic targets. Over the last several years, we and others have established distinct roles for the Ste20-like kinase SLK, encompassing apoptosis, growth, motility and development. Here, we review the SLK field from its initial cloning to the most recent findings from our laboratory. We summarize the various roles of SLK and the biochemical mechanisms that regulate its activity. These various findings reveal very complex functions and pattern of regulation for SLK in development and cancer, making it a potential therapeutic target.
authors.affiliation: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa, ON Canada.
authors.forename: Khalid N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Al-Zahrani
authors.forename: Kyla D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.forename: Luc A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sabourin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020239:Receptor Cross-Talk; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000099317:Hippo Kinases
chemical_list: D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C485733:SLK protein, human; D000099317:Hippo Kinases; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human; C496050:PTK2 protein, human