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PAK2 as a therapeutic target in cancer: Mechanisms, challenges, and future perspectives

Xin-Pan Chen1, Zi-Tao Yang1, Shang-Xin Yang1

  • 1The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for High Cancer Incidence Coastal Chaoshan Area, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. Reviews on Cancer
|December 18, 2024
PubMed

Insights

P21-activated kinase 2 (PAK2) drives cancer progression by influencing angiogenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. Developing specific PAK2 inhibitors faces challenges, but overcoming them could lead to new cancer therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Molecular Medicine

Background:

  • P21-activated kinases (PAKs) are key regulators in cellular signaling pathways.
  • PAK2 is widely expressed and significantly contributes to cancer progression.
  • Systematic studies on PAK2's role in cancer are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a comprehensive review of PAK2's function in cancer.
  • To explore PAK2's involvement in cancer hallmarks and signaling pathways.
  • To discuss the therapeutic potential and challenges of PAK2 inhibitors.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing studies on PAK2 in cancer.
  • Analysis of PAK2's role in angiogenesis, metastasis, cell survival, metabolism, immune response, and drug resistance.
  • Examination of PAK2's interactions with key cancer signaling pathways.

Main Results:

  • PAK2 plays a critical role in multiple cancer-related processes.
  • Small-molecule inhibitors targeting PAK2 show therapeutic potential in preclinical studies.
  • No PAK2 inhibitors have advanced to clinical practice due to specificity and application challenges.

Conclusions:

  • PAK2 is biologically significant in cancer, interacting with critical signaling pathways.
  • Developing specific and effective PAK2 inhibitors is challenging.
  • Overcoming development barriers is crucial for the clinical translation of PAK2-targeted therapies.
Keywords:
CancerInhibitorsPAK2PathwayStructure

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