Role of the ABL tyrosine kinases in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the metastatic cascade.

The ABL kinases, ABL1 and ABL2, promote tumor progression and metastasis in various solid tumors. Recent reports have shown that ABL kinases have increased expression and/or activity in solid tumors and that ABL inactivation impairs metastasis. The therapeutic effects of ABL inactivation are due in part to ABL-dependent regulation of diverse cellular processes related to the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and subsequent steps in the metastatic cascade.

DNA hypomethylation drives changes in gene expression resulting in alteration of proliferative status of cells.

Melanoma Antigen Genes (MAGEs) are a family of genes that have piqued the interest of scientists for their unique expression pattern. A subset of MAGEs (Type I) are expressed in spermatogonial cells and in no other somatic tissue, and then re-expressed in many cancers. Type I MAGEs are often referred to as cancer-testis antigens due to this expression pattern, while Type II MAGEs are more ubiquitous in expression.