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First published online September 17, 2008
doi: 10.1242/10.1242/jcs.017996

Journal of Cell Science 121, 3121-3132 (2008)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2008
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Commentary

Integrin-linked kinase – essential roles in physiology and cancer biology

Paul C. McDonald1, Andrew B. Fielding1 and Shoukat Dedhar1,2,*

1 British Columbia Cancer Agency, BC Cancer Research Centre, Department of Cancer Genetics, Vancouver BC, Canada
2 University of British Columbia, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Vancouver BC, Canada

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: sdedhar{at}interchange.ubc.ca)

Accepted 7 August 2008

Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is a multifunctional intracellular effector of cell-matrix interactions and regulates many cellular processes, including growth, proliferation, survival, differentiation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis. The use of recently developed Cre-lox-driven recombination and RNA-interference technologies has enabled the evaluation of the physiological roles of ILK in several major organ systems. Significant developmental and tissue-homeostasis defects occur when the gene that encodes ILK is deleted, whereas the expression of ILK is often elevated in human malignancies. Although the cause(s) of ILK overexpression remain to be fully elucidated, accumulating evidence suggests that its oncogenic capacity derives from its regulation of several downstream targets that provide cells with signals that promote proliferation, survival and migration, supporting the concept that ILK is a relevant therapeutic target in human cancer. Furthermore, a global analysis of the ILK `interactome' has yielded several novel interactions, and has revealed exciting and unexpected cellular functions of ILK that might have important implications for the development of effective therapeutic agents.

Key words: Cancer, Development, Extracellular matrix, Integrin-linked kinase, Protein-protein interaction, Signal transduction






© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2008