Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 14, 2026

RhoC GTPase Activation Assay
09:58

RhoC GTPase Activation Assay

Published on: August 22, 2010

12.8K

Roles of Rho‑associated kinase in lung cancer (Review)

Muhammad Asyaari Zakaria1, Nor Fadilah Rajab2, Eng Wee Chua3

  • 1Biomedical Science Programme, Centre for Toxicology and Health Risk Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, National University of Malaysia, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

International Journal of Oncology
|January 25, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) is overexpressed in lung cancer, driving tumor growth and metastasis. Inhibiting ROCK shows promise for new lung cancer treatments by reducing cancer cell migration and other hallmarks of cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally.
  • Current treatments offer limited efficacy for late-stage lung cancer patients.
  • Understanding cancer signaling pathways is crucial for developing effective therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent preclinical findings on Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) signaling in lung cancer pathogenesis.
  • To discuss the role of ROCK in key cancer processes like apoptosis, proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis.
  • To evaluate ROCK as a potential therapeutic target for lung cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Review of preclinical studies investigating ROCK signaling in lung cancer.
  • Analysis of ROCK's involvement in cancer cell apoptosis, proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis.
  • Assessment of ROCK inhibition as a therapeutic strategy.

Main Results:

  • Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) is frequently overexpressed in lung cancer.
  • ROCK signaling significantly influences cancer cell apoptosis, proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis.
  • ROCK inhibition demonstrates potential to reduce multiple cancer hallmarks.

Conclusions:

  • ROCK plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of lung cancer.
  • Targeting ROCK signaling, particularly by inhibiting ROCK, may offer a novel therapeutic approach for lung cancer.
  • ROCK inhibition effectively reduces cancer cell migration, a key step in metastasis.
Keywords:
Rho-associated kinaselung cancernon-small cell lung cancerinhibitioncancer therapy

More Related Videos

Utilizing 18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging and Quantitative Histology to Measure Dynamic Changes in the Glucose Metabolism in Mouse Models of Lung Cancer06:51

Utilizing 18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging and Quantitative Histology to Measure Dynamic Changes in the Glucose Metabolism in Mouse Models of Lung Cancer

Published on: July 21, 2018

18.3K
Characterize Disease-related Mutants of RAF Family Kinases by Using a Set of Practical and Feasible Methods07:49

Characterize Disease-related Mutants of RAF Family Kinases by Using a Set of Practical and Feasible Methods

Published on: July 17, 2019

6.3K

Related Concept Videos

The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a superfamily...
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...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho01:24

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
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...