Previously we have demonstrated that focal adhesion kinase (FAK)-promoted migration on fibronectin (FN) by its overexpression in CHO cells is dependent on FAK autophosphorylation at Y397 and subsequent binding of Src to this site. In this report, we have examined the role of FAK association with Grb2 and p130(Cas), two downstream events of the FAK/Src complex that could mediate integrin-stimula...

Elevated focal adhesion kinase (FAK) expression in human tumor cells has been correlated with an increased cell invasion potential. In cell culture, studies with FAK-null fibroblasts have shown that FAK function is required for cell migration. To determine the role of elevated FAK expression in facilitating epidermal growth factor (EGF)-stimulated human adenocarcinoma (A549) cell motility, anti...

Melanomas are fast growing high-mortality tumors, and specific treatments for melanomas are needed. Melanoma cells overexpress focal adhesion kinase (FAK) compared to normal keratinocytes, and we sought to exploit this difference to create a selectively lethal therapy. We combined gold nanoparticles (GNP) with antibodies targeting phosphorylated FAK (p-FAK). These conjugates (p-FAK-GNP) entered...

Mechanical overload elicits functional and structural adaptive mechanisms in cardiac muscle. Signaling pathways linked to integrin/cytoskeleton complexes may have a function in mediation of the effects of mechanical stimulus in myocardial cells. We investigated the tyrosine phosphorylation and the assembly of the multicomponent signaling complex associated with focal adhesion kinase (Fak) and t...

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase protein localized to regions called focal adhesions, which are contact points between cells and the extracellular matrix. FAK protein acts as a scaffold to transfer adhesion-dependent and growth factor signals into the cell. Increased FAK expression is linked to aggressive metastatic and invasive tumors. However, little is known about...

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) has long been considered to be a key regulator of growth factor receptor- and integrin-mediated signals, with pivotal roles in tumor cells through its kinase activity and scaffolding function. Increased FAK expression and activity has been observed in tumors of various origins and is often associated with a poor prognosis. However, there have been no studies on the a...

BACKGROUND Following damage to the intestinal epithelium, restoration of epithelial barrier integrity is triggered by a robust proliferative response. In other tissues, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) regulates many of the cellular processes that are critical for epithelial homeostasis and restitution, including cell migration, proliferation and survival. However, few studies to date have determine...

Although focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is elevated in epithelial cancers, it is not known whether FAK expression influences tumor development in vivo. We found that fak +/- heterozygous mice display reduced 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced papilloma formation that correlates with reduced FAK protein expression in the skin. However, the frequency of malignant conversion of papillomas into ca...

BACKGROUND Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays an important role in tumor metastasis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of FAK expression in surgically treated patients with hypopharyngeal cancer. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the clinical charts of patients treated at our institution between 2004 and 2012 and identified 87 patients with hypopharyngeal cancer. FAK...

FAK and Src signaling play important roles in cell differentiation, survival and migration. However, it remains unclear how FAK and Src activities are regulated at the initial stage of stem cell differentiation. We utilized fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based FAK and Src biosensors to visualize these kinase activities at the plasma membrane of human mesenchymal stem cells (HMSCs...