Dual roles of FAK in tumor angiogenesis: A review focused on pericyte FAK.

Jingyu Zhang, Wei Li, Wenxin Wang, Qingqing Chen, Zishan Xu, Meijing Deng, Lin Zhou, Guoyang He

European journal of pharmacology 2023 May 15

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Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), also known as protein tyrosine kinase 2 (PTK2), is a ubiquitously expressed non-receptor tyrosine kinase, that plays a pivotal role in integrin-mediated signal transduction. Endothelial FAK is upregulated in many types of cancer and promotes tumorigenesis and tumor progression. However, recent studies have shown that pericyte FAK has the opposite effect. This review article dissects the mechanisms, by which endothelial cells (ECs) and pericyte FAK regulate angiogenesis, with an emphasis on the Gas6/Axl pathway. In particular, this article discusses the role of pericyte FAK loss on angiogenesis during tumorigenesis and metastasis. In addition, the existing challenges and future application of drug-based anti-FAK targeted therapies will be discussed to provide a theoretical basis for further development and use of FAK inhibitors. Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Citation

Jingyu Zhang, Wei Li, Wenxin Wang, Qingqing Chen, Zishan Xu, Meijing Deng, Lin Zhou, Guoyang He. Dual roles of FAK in tumor angiogenesis: A review focused on pericyte FAK. European journal of pharmacology. 2023 May 15;947:175694