Synonym(s)
rapidly growing fibrosarcoma kinase
DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.
Raf is an acronym for "Rapidly growing fibrosarcoma". Raf proteins are found in all mammalian tissues and belong to the serine/threonine protein kinases. B-Raf has been identified as a potent oncogene. There is much evidence that the mutation in the B-RAF gene occurs early in the development of a tumour. B-RAF mutations play an important role in the genesis of malignant melanoma.
General informationThis section has been translated automatically.
- Raf kinases include the following isoforms:
- A-Raf
- B-Raf
- C-Raf (or Raf-1).
- Raf kinases play an important role in the MAP kinase signalling pathway (MAP = acronym for "mitogen-activated protein"). The MAP kinase signalling pathway is a central cellular signalling pathway that plays a crucial role in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation and survival. RAF kinases play a key role in tumorigenesis. They are probably regulated by the small G protein Ras (acronym for "rat sarcoma"), which must be present in its active, GTP-bound form.
Note(s)This section has been translated automatically.
The development of specific irreversible kinase inhibitors (which could play a role in the therapy of metastasized malignant melanoma ) has now been successful and represents an attractive approach to tumor suppression (see sorafenib below).
Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer