Kevin C Lahey, Christopher Varsanyi, Ziren Wang, Ahmed Aquib, Varsha Gadiyar, Alcina A Rodrigues, Rachael Pulica, Samuel Desind, Viralkumar Davra, David C Calianese, Dongfang Liu, Jong-Hyun Cho, Sergei V Kotenko, Mariana S De Lorenzo, Raymond B Birge
Mertk, a type I receptor tyrosine kinase and member of the TAM family of receptors, has important functions in promoting efferocytosis and resolving inflammation under physiological conditions. In recent years, Mertk has also been linked to pathophysiological roles in cancer, whereby, in several cancer types, including solid cancers and leukemia/lymphomas. Mertk contributes to oncogenic features of proliferation and cell survival as an oncogenic tyrosine kinase. In addition, Mertk expressed on macrophages, including tumor-associated macrophages, promotes immune evasion in cancer and is suggested to act akin to a myeloid checkpoint inhibitor that skews macrophages towards inhibitory phenotypes that suppress host T-cell anti-tumor immunity...
April 17, 2024: International Journal of Molecular Sciences