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Therapeutic Targeting of the Gas6/Axl Signaling Pathway in Cancer.

ABSTRACT: Many signaling pathways are dysregulated in cancer cells and the host tumor microenvironment. Aberrant receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) pathways promote cancer development, progression, and metastasis. Hence, numerous therapeutic interventions targeting RTKs have been actively pursued. Axl is an RTK that belongs to the Tyro3, Axl, MerTK (TAM) subfamily. Axl binds to a high affinity ligand growth arrest specific 6 (Gas6) that belongs to the vitamin K-dependent family of proteins. The Gas6/Axl signaling pathway has been implicated to promote progression, metastasis, immune evasion, and therapeutic resistance in many cancer types. Therapeutic agents targeting Gas6 and Axl have been developed, and promising results have been observed in both preclinical and clinical settings when such agents are used alone or in combination therapy. This review examines the current state of therapeutics targeting the Gas6/Axl pathway in cancer and discusses Gas6- and Axl-targeting agents that have been evaluated preclinically and clinically.

SUBMITTER: Tanaka M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8469858 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Therapeutic Targeting of the Gas6/Axl Signaling Pathway in Cancer.

Tanaka Mai M Siemann Dietmar W DW

International journal of molecular sciences 20210915 18

Many signaling pathways are dysregulated in cancer cells and the host tumor microenvironment. Aberrant receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) pathways promote cancer development, progression, and metastasis. Hence, numerous therapeutic interventions targeting RTKs have been actively pursued. Axl is an RTK that belongs to the Tyro3, Axl, MerTK (TAM) subfamily. Axl binds to a high affinity ligand growth arrest specific 6 (Gas6) that belongs to the vitamin K-dependent family of proteins. The Gas6/Axl signa ...[more]

PMID: 34576116

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Gas6/Axl Signaling Pathway in the Tumor Immune Microenvironment.

Project description:Receptor tyrosine kinases have been shown to dysregulate a number of pathways associated with tumor development, progression, and metastasis. Axl is a receptor tyrosine kinase expressed in many cancer types and has been associated with therapy resistance and poor clinical prognosis and outcomes. In addition, Axl and its ligand growth arrest specific 6 (Gas6) protein are expressed by a number of host cells. The Gas6/Axl signaling pathway has been implicated in the promotion of tumor cell proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and immune evasion. As a result, Axl is an attractive, novel therapeutic target to impair multiple stages of tumor progression from both neoplastic and host cell axes. This review focuses on the role of the Gas6/Axl signaling pathway in promoting the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, as immune evasion is considered one of the hallmarks of cancer. The review discusses the structure and activation of the Gas6/Axl signaling pathway, GAS6 and AXL expression patterns in the tumor microenvironment, mechanisms of Axl-mediated tumor immune response, and the role of Gas6/Axl signaling in immune cell recruitment.

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2024-05-23 | PXD047577 | Pride

Gas6-Axl pathway: the role of redox-dependent association of Axl with nonmuscle myosin IIB.

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Gas6-Axl signaling drives oral regenerative wound repair

Project description:Rapid and scarless wound repair is a hallmark of the oral mucosa, yet the cellular and molecular mechanisms that enable this regeneration remain unclear. By comparing populations of oral mucosal fibroblasts (OMFs) and facial skin fibroblasts (FSFs), we have identified the mechanisms that facilitate regeneration over fibrosis. We found that OMFs utilize Growth arrest specific-6 (GAS6)-AXL signaling to suppress fibrosis-related mechanosignaling via Focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Inhibition and knockdown of AXL in the oral mucosa resulted in fibrotic wounds and increased activation of FAK. At the same time, stimulation of AXL in the facial skin yielded wounds that heal regeneratively. Rare human oral scars that resulted from repetitive injury showed decreased expression of GAS6/AXL and increased FAK. Activating AXL in repetitively injured mouse oral tissue resulted in better wound healing outcomes and reduced scarring. Together, our work demonstrates that AXL signaling is necessary for regenerative wound healing in the oral mucosa and sufficient to limit facial skin fibrosis.

2025-04-30 | GSE287384 | GEO

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