What do ALK inhibitors do?
ALK inhibitors are anti-cancer drugs that act on tumours with variations of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) such as an EML4-ALK translocation. They fall under the category of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which work by inhibiting proteins involved in the abnormal growth of tumour cells.
Where is the ALK gene?
Chromosome 2
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase
| ALK | |
|---|---|
| Aliases | ALK, CD246, NBLST3, anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase, ALK receptor tyrosine kinase, ALK (gene), ALK1 |
| External IDs | OMIM: 105590 MGI: 103305 HomoloGene: 68387 GeneCards: ALK |
| Gene location (Human) Chr. Chromosome 2 (human) Band 2p23.2-p23.1 Start 29,192,774 bp End 29,921,586 bp |
How does ALK cause cancer?
ALK is short for anaplastic lymphoma kinase. It’s a mutation in the DNA of your lung cells that happens when two genes become fused, or stuck together. When you have this mutation, your lung cells make too many copies of themselves. These cells are cancerous and can spread to other parts of your body.
What is the ALK fusion gene?
Background. Genomic fusions of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene (ALK) are a well‐established therapy target in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
What does Ros 1 stand for?
ROS1 (ROS Proto-Oncogene 1, Receptor Tyrosine Kinase) is a Protein Coding gene.
What is ALK test?
ALK is a short name for the anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase gene. This test detects specific rearrangements in the ALK gene in cancer cells and tissue. The presence of these changes makes it more likely that a person with non-small cell lung cancer will respond to a targeted drug therapy.
Can ALK-positive lung cancer be cured?
Stage IV is the most advanced form; meaning the disease has spread to distant parts of your body, such as your bones or brain. Stage IV is very hard to cure, if not impossible, for ALK-positive lung cancer at this time.
What is a fusion mutation?
Gene fusions, or translocations, resulting from chromosomal rearrangements are the most common mutation class. They lead to chimeric transcripts or to deregulation of genes through juxtapositioning of novel promoter or enhancer regions.
How is the ALK gene oncogenic?
The ALK gene can be oncogenic in three ways – by forming a fusion gene with any of several other genes, by gaining additional gene copies or with mutations of the actual DNA code for the gene itself.
What is the function of ALK in the nervous system?
The receptor ALK plays a pivotal role in cellular communication and in the normal development and function of the nervous system. This observation is based on the extensive expression of ALK messenger RNA (mRNA) throughout the nervous system during mouse embryogenesis.
How does the ALK gene affect neuroblastoma?
Somatic mutations in the ALK gene occur during the development of some cases of sporadic neuroblastoma, and inherited mutations in the ALK gene increase the risk of developing familial neuroblastoma. Mutations in the ALK gene change single protein building blocks (amino acids) in ALK receptor tyrosine kinase.
Is ALK a tyrosine kinase?
The full-length protein ALK was identified in 1997 by two groups. The deduced amino acid sequences revealed that ALK was a novel receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), having an extracellular ligand-binding domain, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular tyrosine kinase domain.