Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 6
FAK pY
397
positive focal adhesions increase following exposure to tamoxifen. MCF-7
ER-positive breast cancer cells cultured in the anti-estrogen tamoxifen as previously described
(Cowell
et al.
2006). Immunol uorescence analysis with antibodies to FAK pY
397
shows remarkably
increased FAK pY
397
-positive adhesions in the tamoxifen-treated cultures (compare control versus
tamoxifen-treated cultures, arrows). Scale bar 10 μm. (G. O. unpublished data.)
nucleus may block integrin-dependent Src activity. Alternatively the progesterone
receptor status of the tumours may play a role in regulating Src function in the
cytoplasm (Campbell
et al.
2008). Before Src and FAK inhibitors can fuli l their
promise as anti-cancer therapies, these questions highlight the importance for
using the well-validated adhesion protein phospho-antibodies to probe extensive
cohorts of patient-derived tumour material to relate adhesion protein phospho-
status with patient outcomes.
APPLICATION TO OTHER AREAS OF HEALTH AND
DISEASE
h e critical role for integrin adhesion signalling in cell proliferation, survival
and migration means that these receptors are implicated in a number of dif erent
pathologies. An area of particular interest is the contribution that integrins play
in cell migration. Cell migration not only is critical in cancer metastasis, but also
underlies chronic inl ammation conditions, is vital to wound healing and when
deregulated can lead to congenital defects during embryogenesis. Each of the
molecules discussed in this chapter is a strong candidate for regulating migratory
processes in other pathological conditions. Worldwide there are extensive resources
and research hours devoted to understanding the cell biology of migration,
exemplii ed by the Cell Migration Consortium (
http://www.cellmigration.org
).
h us, there is the potential for advances in understanding the phospho-regulation
