Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 21, 2025

Assaying Protein Kinase Activity with Radiolabeled ATP
08:05

Assaying Protein Kinase Activity with Radiolabeled ATP

Published on: May 26, 2017

18.6K

WNK1 kinase signaling in metastasis and angiogenesis

Chia-Ying Hou1, Chung-Yung Ma2, Chiou-Hwa Yuh3

  • 1Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institute, Taiwan; Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Cellular Signalling
|June 1, 2022
PubMed

Insights

With-no-lysine kinases (WNKs) play roles in cancer. Targeting WNK1 may offer a new strategy against tumor metastasis and angiogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • With-no-lysine kinases (WNKs) are serine/threonine protein kinases involved in ion homeostasis.
  • WNK1 signaling pathways are implicated in tumor-induced angiogenesis and carcinogenesis.
  • WNK1 has emerging roles in endothelial cell migration, proliferation, and tumor metastasis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the functions of WNK1 in cancer metastasis.
  • To review the functions of WNK1 in tumor angiogenesis.
  • To propose WNK1 targeting as a potential anti-cancer strategy.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent studies on WNK1.
  • Analysis of WNK1's role in signaling pathways.
  • Evaluation of WNK1's involvement in cancer progression.

Main Results:

  • WNK1 signaling is linked to tumor angiogenesis and carcinogenesis.
  • WNK1 influences endothelial cell migration and proliferation.
  • WNK1 impacts tumor cell proliferation and metastasis.

Conclusions:

  • WNK1 is a significant factor in cancer metastasis.
  • WNK1 contributes to tumor angiogenesis.
  • Targeting WNK1 presents a promising anti-cancer therapeutic strategy.
Keywords:
AngiogenesisIon homeostasisMetastasisSignaling pathwaysWNK-OSR1/SPAK-NKCC

More Related Videos

Characterization of Cell Membrane Extensions and Studying Their Roles in Cancer Cell Adhesion Dynamics08:11

Characterization of Cell Membrane Extensions and Studying Their Roles in Cancer Cell Adhesion Dynamics

Published on: March 26, 2018

8.5K
Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants07:38

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants

Published on: June 6, 2025

286

Related Concept Videos

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
7.5K
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which...
9.0K
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply01:24

Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply

Rapidly dividing tumors, embryos, and wounded tissues require more oxygen than usual, lowering the oxygen concentration in the blood. At low oxygen or hypoxic conditions, an oxygen-sensitive transcription factor called the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 or HIF1 is activated. HIF1 is a dimeric protein of alpha (ɑ) and beta (β) subunits.  Under optimal oxygen conditions, HIF1β is present in the nucleus while HIF1ɑ remains in the cytosol. HIF1ɑ is hydroxylated by prolyl...
2.7K
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...
3.9K
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
6.3K
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway01:22

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway

The mammalian target of rapamycin  (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1  (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2  (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast,  mTORC2 consists of a...
4.0K