Pim Protein Kinase-Levels Correlate With Prostate Tumor Growth and Chemo Resistance-Potential Mechanisms.

摘要

Pim is a protein kinase that has been implicated to play a role in prostate cancer. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that those patients with high Pim-1 expression are at a significantly greater risk for developing metastatic cancer. In transgenic animal models, the levels of Pim-1 protein kinase are elevated in prostate tumors caused by over expression of the c-myc ongoene, a gene overexpressed in human prostate cancer. In this proposal, we will examine whether Pim mimics Akt and TOR or modulates additional biochemical pathways and use knockout mice to dissect how myc and Pim collaborate to induce transformation and growth or prostate cancers. Pim inhibitors alone or in combination with TOR inhibitors will make a powerful chemotherapeutic strategy.