Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Assaying Protein Kinase Activity with Radiolabeled ATP
08:05

Assaying Protein Kinase Activity with Radiolabeled ATP

Published on: May 26, 2017

19.4K

P21 activated kinase signaling in cancer

Chetan K Rane1, Audrey Minden1

  • 1Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 164 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States.

Seminars in Cancer Biology
|January 14, 2018
PubMed

Insights

p21 Activated Kinases (PAKs) are key signaling proteins in cancer. Inhibitors targeting PAK1 and PAK4 show promise as potential cancer treatments, with ongoing clinical investigations.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • p21 Activated Kinases (PAKs) are serine/threonine kinases involved in multiple signaling pathways.
  • PAKs function downstream of Rho GTPases Cdc42 and Rac.
  • PAKs 1-6 are implicated in oncogenesis, with PAK1 and PAK4 frequently associated with tumorigenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the association between PAK expression and cancer.
  • To discuss the molecular mechanisms of PAKs in cancer.
  • To review PAK-targeting drug candidates and their clinical efficacy.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of PAKs in cancer.
  • Analysis of signaling pathways regulated by PAKs.
  • Examination of small molecule inhibitors targeting PAKs.

Main Results:

  • PAK1 and PAK4 are significantly associated with various cancers.
  • Understanding of PAK-mediated oncogenic signaling is advancing.
  • Several PAK inhibitors are under development and clinical testing for cancer therapy.

Conclusions:

  • PAKs, particularly PAK1 and PAK4, play crucial roles in cancer development.
  • Targeting PAK signaling represents a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer.
  • Further research into PAK inhibitors is warranted for cancer treatment.
Keywords:
CancerDrug targetsPAK signalingSmall GTPase targetsp-21 Activated Kinases

More Related Videos

Assaying the Kinase Activity of LRRK2 in vitro06:09

Assaying the Kinase Activity of LRRK2 in vitro

Published on: January 18, 2012

23.0K
Assessment of Resistance to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors by an Interrogation of Signal Transduction Pathways by Antibody Arrays07:42

Assessment of Resistance to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors by an Interrogation of Signal Transduction Pathways by Antibody Arrays

Published on: September 19, 2018

8.4K

Related Concept Videos

Protein Kinases and Phosphatases02:54

Protein Kinases and Phosphatases

Proteins undergo chemical modifications that trigger changes in the charge, structure, and conformation of the proteins. Phosphorylation, acetylation, glycosylation, nitrosylation, ubiquitination, lipidation, methylation, and proteolysis are various protein modifications that regulate protein activity. Such modifications are usually enzyme-driven.
Protein kinases
Many proteins in the cell are regulated by phosphorylation, the addition of a phosphate group. A family of enzymes called kinases...
15.2K
Protein Kinases and Phosphatases02:54

Protein Kinases and Phosphatases

4.5K
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
4.9K
Endocrine Signaling01:45

Endocrine Signaling

Endocrine cells produce hormones to communicate with remote target cells found in other organs. The hormone reaches these distant areas using the circulatory system. This exposes the whole organism to the hormone but only those cells expressing hormone receptors or target cells are affected. Thus, endocrine signaling induces slow responses from its target cells but these effects also last longer.
68.3K
Yeast Signaling01:28

Yeast Signaling

Yeasts are single-celled organisms, but unlike bacteria, they are eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus). Cell signaling in yeast is similar to signaling in other eukaryotic cells. A ligand, such as a protein or a small molecule released from a yeast cell, attaches to a receptor on the cell surface. The binding stimulates second-messenger kinases to activate or inactivate transcription factors that further regulate gene expression. Many of the yeast intracellular signaling cascades have similar...
17.4K
Intracellular Signaling Cascades01:24

Intracellular Signaling Cascades

Once a ligand binds to a receptor, the signal is transmitted through the membrane and into the cytoplasm. The continuation of a signal in this manner is called signal transduction. Signal transduction only occurs with cell-surface receptors, which cannot interact with most components of the cell, such as DNA. Only internal receptors can interact directly with DNA in the nucleus to initiate protein synthesis. When a ligand binds to its receptor, conformational changes occur that affect the...
53.8K