Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications
Title
Targeting FER kinase inhibits melanoma growth and metastasis
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2019
Issue
3
Journal
Cancers
Volume
11
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.3390/cancers11030419
Abstract
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Melanoma is one of the most aggressive types of tumors and exhibits high metastatic potential. Fes-related (FER) kinase is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase that has been implicated in growth and metastasis of various epithelial tumors. In this study, we have examined the role that FER kinase plays in melanoma at the molecular level. FER-depleted melanoma cells exhibit impaired Wnt/β-catenin pathway activity, as well as multiple proteomic changes, which include decreased abundance of L1-cell adhesion molecule (L1-CAM). Consistent with the pro-metastatic functions of these pathways, we demonstrate that depletion of FER kinase decreases melanoma growth and formation of distant metastases in a xenograft model. These findings indicate that FER is an important positive regulator of melanoma metastasis and a potential target for innovative therapies.