title: Roles for KRAS in pancreatic tumor development and progression.
abstract: The Kras gene is mutated to an oncogenic form in most pancreatic tumors. However, early attempts to use this molecule as a specific biomarker of the disease, or inhibit its activity as a cancer therapy, failed. This left a situation in which everyone was aware of the association between this important oncogene and pancreatic cancer, but no one knew what to do about it. Recent findings have changed this picture-many assumptions made about KRAS and its role in pancreatic cancer were found to be incorrect. Several factors have contributed to increased understanding of the activities of KRAS, including creation of genetically engineered mouse models, which have allowed for detailed analyses of pancreatic carcinogenesis in an intact animal with a competent immune system. Cancer genome sequencing projects have increased our understanding of the heterogeneity of individual tumors. We also have a better understanding of which oncogenes are important for tumor maintenance and are therefore called "drivers." We review the advances and limitations of our knowledge about the role of Kras in development of pancreatic cancers and the important areas for future research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA. marinapa@umich.edu
authors.forename: Marina Pasca
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: di Magliano
authors.forename: Craig D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Logsdon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D010641:Phenotype; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D015398:Signal Transduction; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C117307:KRAS protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins