Prognostic implications of RASAL1 expression in oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma

Activation of RAS signalling through the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK cascade is a well-established event in various human cancers, leading to increased cell proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis and immortalisation of tumour cells.1 2 Recently, RASAL1 (RAS protein activator like 1), a RAS GTPase-activating protein, which catalyses the inactivation of RAS, has been shown to act as a tumour suppressor in thyroid carcinoma, providing a potential alternative genetic background for tumours not harbouring ‘classical’ mutations in RAS or BRAF genes.3 RASAL1 belongs to the so-called ‘RAS superfamily GTPases’ and has been reported to harbour somatic mutations exclusively in the RAS GTPase-activating domain, leading to impairment of suppression in the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK cascade.4 Silencing of RASAL1 leads to increased tumorigenesis via uncontrolled mobilisation of GTPases,4 which is most commonly mediated through hypermethylation or inactivating (missense) mutations.5 6 In recent studies, it...

Source: Journal of Clinical Pathology - February 15, 2017 Category: Pathology Authors: Knief, J., Reddemann, K., Lazar-Karsten, P., Herhahn, T., Petrova, E., Wellner, U., Thorns, C. Tags: PostScript Source Type: research