MET Receptor Tyrosine Kinase

MET receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and its ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) have become important therapeutic target in oncology, especially lung cancer. MET RTK is involved in cancer cell growth/survival, motility/migration, invasion/metastasis, and in angiogenesis. MET can be overexpressed in lung cancer, sometimes mutated, and sometimes amplified. Not only can MET be overexpressed, there are subsets of lung cancer tumors that have HGF overexpression. The mutations of MET can occur in the semaphorin and/or juxtamembrane domain in a majority of times. Amplification of MET can occur de novo in primary/metastatic tumors, as well arise in the context of therapeutic inhibition. There are a number of clinical inhibitors that have been developed against MET/HGF. Small molecule inhibitors such as XL184 and PF02341066 have come to clinical fruition, as well as antibodies against MET (such as MetMAb). These inhibitors will be discussed.