title: The role of FAK in tumor metabolism and therapy.
abstract: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a vital role in tumor cell proliferation, survival and migration. Altered metabolic pathways fuel rapid tumor growth by accelerating glucose, lipid and glutamine processing. Besides the mitogenic effects of FAK, evidence is accumulating supporting the association between hyper-activated FAK and aberrant metabolism in tumorigenesis. FAK can promote glucose consumption, lipogenesis, and glutamine dependency to promote cancer cell proliferation, motility, and survival. Clinical studies demonstrate that FAK-related alterations of tumor metabolism are associated with increased risk of developing solid tumors. Since FAK contributes to the malignant phenotype, small molecule inhibition of FAK-stimulated bioenergetic and biosynthetic processes can provide a novel approach for therapeutic intervention in tumor growth and invasion.
authors: Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263, United States.
authors: Jianliang
authors: J
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263, United States. Electronic address: steven.hochwald@roswellpark.org.
authors: Steven N
authors: SN
authors: Hochwald
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D015195:Drug Design; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects*; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
keywords: Focal adhesion kinase; Glutamine; Lipogenesis; Molecular targeting; Motility; Proliferation