Anaplastic lymphoma kinase fusions: Roles in cancer and therapeutic perspectives.

Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) serves a crucial role in brain development. is located on the short arm of chromosome 2 (2p23) and exchange of chromosomal segments with other genes, including nucleophosmin (), echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 () and -fused gene (), readily occurs. Such chromosomal translocation results in the formation of chimeric fusion oncoproteins, which possess potential oncogenic functions due to constitutive activation of ALK kinase.

Activated tyrosine kinases in gastrointestinal stromal tumor with loss of KIT oncoprotein expression.

Oncogenic KIT or PDGFRA receptor tyrosine kinase (TK) mutations are compelling therapeutic targets in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and the KIT/PDGFRA kinase inhibitor, imatinib, is the standard of care for patients with metastatic GIST. However, approximately 10% of KIT-positive GIST metastases lose KIT expression at the time of clinical progression during imatinib therapy. In the present report, we performed TK-activation screens, using phosphotyrosine-TK double immunoaffinity purification and mass spectrometry, in GIST in vitro models lacking KIT expression.