Targeting the RAS oncogene.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The Ras proteins (K-Ras, N-Ras, and H-Ras) are GTPases that function as molecular switches for a variety of critical cellular activities and their function is tightly and temporally regulated in normal cells. Oncogenic mutations in the RAS genes, which create constitutively-active Ras proteins, can result in uncontrolled proliferation or survival in tumor cells.

Areas covered

The paper discusses three therapeutic approaches targeting the Ras pathway in cancer: i) Ras itself, ii) Ras downstream pathways, and iii) synthetic lethality. The most adopted approach is targeting Ras downstream signaling, and specifically the PI3K-AKT-mTOR and Raf-MEK pathways, as they are frequently major oncogenic drivers in cancers with high Ras signaling. Although direct targeting of

SUBMITTER: Takashima A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3804031 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature