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Gas6/Axl Signaling Pathway in the Tumor Immune Microenvironment

Mai Tanaka1, Dietmar W Siemann1

  • 1Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.

Cancers
|July 15, 2020
PubMed

Insights

The Gas6/Axl signaling pathway drives tumor progression and immune evasion. Targeting Axl offers a novel therapeutic strategy to combat cancer by disrupting multiple tumor development pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) play critical roles in cancer development, progression, and metastasis.
  • Axl, an RTK, is frequently overexpressed in various cancers, correlating with therapy resistance and poor patient outcomes.
  • The Gas6/Axl pathway is implicated in tumor cell proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and immune evasion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of the Gas6/Axl signaling pathway in fostering an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.
  • To highlight Axl as a therapeutic target for inhibiting tumor progression and immune evasion.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on the Gas6/Axl signaling pathway in cancer.
  • Analysis of studies detailing pathway structure, activation, and expression patterns.
  • Examination of Axl-mediated mechanisms in tumor immune response and cell recruitment.

Main Results:

  • The Gas6/Axl pathway promotes tumor cell proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis.
  • This pathway contributes significantly to immune evasion, a hallmark of cancer.
  • Axl signaling influences the tumor microenvironment by affecting immune cell recruitment and function.

Conclusions:

  • The Gas6/Axl pathway is a critical driver of tumor progression and immune suppression.
  • Targeting the Gas6/Axl pathway presents a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome cancer's resistance and metastatic capabilities.
Keywords:
Gas6/Axl pathwayimmune evasionreceptor tyrosine kinasetumor immune microenvironment

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