P38 kinase in gastrointestinal cancers.
Thuy PhanXu Hannah ZhangSteven T RosenLaleh G MelstromPublished in: Cancer gene therapy (2023)
Gastrointestinal cancers are a leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality worldwide with 4.2 million new cases and 3.2 million deaths estimated in 2020. Despite the advances in primary and adjuvant therapies, patients still develop distant metastases and require novel therapies. Mitogen‑activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are crucial signaling pathways that regulate many cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, stress responses and cancer development. p38 Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases (p38 MAPKs) includes four isoforms: p38α (MAPK14), p38β (MAPK11), p38γ (MAPK12), and p38δ (MAPK13). p38 MAPK was first identified as a stress response protein kinase that phosphorylates different transcriptional factors. Dysregulation of p38 pathways, in particular p38γ, are associated with cancer development, metastasis, autophagy and tumor microenvironment. In this article, we provide an overview of p38 and p38γ with respect to gastrointestinal cancers. Furthermore, targeting p38γ is also discussed as a potential therapy for gastrointestinal cancers.
Keyphrases
- papillary thyroid
- signaling pathway
- protein kinase
- squamous cell
- oxidative stress
- end stage renal disease
- childhood cancer
- cell death
- ejection fraction
- prognostic factors
- lymph node metastasis
- peritoneal dialysis
- early stage
- chronic kidney disease
- transcription factor
- squamous cell carcinoma
- climate change
- epithelial mesenchymal transition
- drug delivery
- cancer therapy
- cell proliferation
- heat shock protein