The Transcriptional Roles of ALK Fusion Proteins in Tumorigenesis
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Generation of Fluorescent Protein Fusions in Candida Species
Published on: March 4, 2017
Stephen P Ducray1, Karthikraj Natarajan2, Gavin D Garland1
1Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB20QQ, UK.
Abstract:
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a tyrosine kinase involved in neuronal and gut development. Initially discovered in T cell lymphoma, ALK is frequently affected in diverse cancers by oncogenic translocations. These translocations involve different fusion partners that facilitate multimerisation and autophosphorylation of ALK, resulting in a constitutively active tyrosine kinase with oncogenic potential. ALK fusion proteins are involved in diverse cellular signalling pathways, such as Ras/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and Janus protein tyrosine kinase (JAK)/STAT. Furthermore, ALK is implicated in epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation and miRNA expression, and an interaction with nuclear proteins has been described. Through these mechanisms, ALK fusion proteins enable a transcriptional programme that drives the pathogenesis of a range of ALK-related malignancies.
More Related Videos
09:16Investigation of the Transcriptional Role of a RUNX1 Intronic Silencer by CRISPR/Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells
Published on: September 1, 2019
07:18Application of Biolayer Interferometry BLI for Studying Protein-Protein Interactions in Transcription
Published on: July 26, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Tagging and Fusion Proteins
Nuclear Fusion
A helium nucleus has a mass that is 0.7% less than that of four hydrogen nuclei; this lost mass is converted into energy during the fusion. This reaction produces about...
Role of Proteins in the Human Body
Transcription Factors
Transcription
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
Master Transcription Regulators