Project description:The goal of this study was to identify transcripts, which are differentially regulatulated in the presence and absence of Focal Adhesion Kinase. As Focal Adhesion Kinase activity can depend upon cell density (Snijder et al. Nature 2009), biological replicates where cells, were seeded very sparsely or confluently, were used. Focal Adhesion Kinase Knockout (ATCC CRL-2644) and Rescue Cells (Sieg et al. 1998, clone DA2) were seeded at two different concentrations. Replicas refer to biological replicates, performed on different days. Only one single technical replicate has been done per biological replicate.
Project description:The goal of this study was to identify transcripts, which are differentially regulatulated in the presence and absence of Focal Adhesion Kinase. As Focal Adhesion Kinase activity can depend upon cell density (Snijder et al. Nature 2009), biological replicates where cells, were seeded very sparsely or confluently, were used.
Project description:Goal: Comparison of protein and phospho-protein levels in primary tumors based on activation of different AKT paralogs Methods: RPPA performed at the MD Anderson RPPA Core Facility. Detailed procedures available in methods section. Results: Focus of study compared protein and phospho-protein levels of BRAFV600E;Cdkn2a-/-;Pten-/- and BRAFV600E;Cdkn2a-/-;Pten-/-;AKT1E17K cohorts. P-FAK and paxillin were upregulated in tumors that express AKT1E17K compared with controls Conclusion: AKT1E17K has a critical role in upregulating P-FAK and paxillin
Project description:Insufficient functional β-cell mass causes diabetes; however, an effective cell replacement therapy for curing diabetes is currently not available. Reprogramming of acinar cells toward functional insulin-producing cells would offer an abundant and autologous source of insulin-producing cells. Our lineage tracing studies along with transcriptomic characterization demonstrate that treatment of adult mice with a small molecule that specifically inhibits kinase activity of focal adhesion kinase results in trans-differentiation of acinar cells into insulin producing β-like cells. The acinar-derived insulin-producing cells infiltrate the pre-existing endocrine islets, partially restore β-cell mass, and significantly improve glucose homeostasis in diabetic mice. Importantly, this treatment can substantially reduce the exogenous insulin requirements in streptozotocin-induced diabetic non-human primates. These findings provide evidence that inhibition of the kinase activity of focal adhesion kinase can convert acinar cells into insulin-producing cells and could offer a promising strategy for treating diabetes.
Project description:Alterations in the PI3K/AKT pathway occur in up to 70% of melanomas and are associated with disease progression. The three AKT paralogs are highly conserved but data suggest they have distinct functions. Activating mutations of AKT1 and AKT3 occur in human melanoma but their role in melanoma formation and metastasis remains unclear. Using an established melanoma mouse model, we evaluated E17K, E40K, and Q79K mutations in AKT1, AKT2, and AKT3 and show that mice harboring tumors expressing AKT1E17K had the highest incidence of brain metastasis and lowest mean survival. Tumors expressing AKT1E17K displayed elevated levels of focal adhesion factors and enhanced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). AKT1E17K expression in melanoma cells increased invasion and this was reduced by pharmacologic inhibition of either AKT or FAK. These data suggest that the different AKT paralogs have distinct roles in melanoma brain metastasis and that AKT and FAK may be promising therapeutic targets. IMPLICATIONS: This study suggests that AKT1E17K promotes melanoma brain metastasis through activation of FAK and provides a rationale for the therapeutic targeting of AKT and/or FAK to reduce melanoma metastasis.
Project description:Chronic stress is associated with hormonal alterations that are known to promote cancer progression. The stress hormone norepinephrine promotes migration and metastasis of prostate cancer cells. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase which is phosphorylated during chronic stress or norepinephrine treatment. Here, we investigated how norepinephrine modulates the gene expression in Myc-CaP prostate cancer cell line. We also focused on the effect of FAK knockdown in norepinephrine-induced changes of the gene expression profile.
Project description:Hypertrophic scar (HTS) formation is characterized by exuberant fibroproliferation for reasons that remain poorly understood1. One important but often overlooked component of wound repair is mechanical force, which regulates reciprocal cell-matrix interactions through focal adhesion components including focal adhesion kinase (FAK)1,2. Here we report that FAK is activated following cutaneous injury and that this activation is potentiated by mechanical loading. Transgenic mice lacking fibroblast-specific FAK exhibit significantly less fibrosis in a preclinical model of HTS formation. Inflammatory pathways involving monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), a chemokine highly implicated in human skin fibrosis3, are triggered following FAK activation, mechanistically linking physical force to fibrosis. Further, small molecule inhibition of FAK effectively abrogates fibroproliferative mechanisms in human cells and significantly reduces scar formation in vivo. Collectively, these findings establish a molecular basis for HTS formation based on the mechanical activation of fibroblast-specific FAK and demonstrate the therapeutic potential of targeted mechanomodulatory strategies.