title: Focal Adhesion Kinase: Insight into Molecular Roles and Functions in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Due to the high incidence of post-operative recurrence after current treatments, the identification of new and more effective drugs is required. In previous years, new targetable genes/pathways involved in HCC pathogenesis have been discovered through the help of high-throughput sequencing technologies. Mutations inTP53and β-catenin genes are the most frequent aberrations in HCC. However, approaches able to reverse the effect of these mutations might be unpredictable. In fact, if the reactivation of proteins, such as p53 in tumours, holds great promise as anticancer therapy, there are studies arguing that chronic activation of these types of molecules may be deleterious. Thus, recently the efforts on potential targets have focused on actionable mutations, such as those occurring in the gene encoding for focal adhesion kinase (FAK). This tyrosine kinase, localized to cellular focal contacts, is over-expressed in a variety of human tumours, including HCC. Moreover, several lines of evidence demonstrated that FAK depletion or inhibition impair in vitro and in vivo HCC growth and metastasis. Here, we provide an overview of FAK expression and activity in the context of tumour biology, discussing the current evidence of its connection with HCC development and progression.
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Via S. Paolo, 15, 00146 Rome, Italy. nadia.panera@opbg.net.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Panera
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Via S. Paolo, 15, 00146 Rome, Italy. annalisa.crudele@opbg.net.
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crudele
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Via S. Paolo, 15, 00146 Rome, Italy. ilaria.romito@opbg.net.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Romito
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Via S. Paolo, 15, 00146 Rome, Italy. daniela.gnani@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gnani
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Via S. Paolo, 15, 00146 Rome, Italy. anna.alisi@opbg.net.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alisi
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
keywords: cancer stem cells; focal adhesion kinase; hepatocellular carcinoma; metastasis; proliferation