Dissection of Therapy-Related Signaling Pathways by Transgenic Expression of Oncogenic KRAS and BRAF in the Mouse Intestine

摘要

Colorectal cancer (CRC) kills almost 700.000 people per year globally. The pathogenesis of CRC involves multiple genetic mutations that deregulate cellular signaling networks. One important example is hyperactivation of the EGFR-KRAS-BRAF-MEK-ERK (also known as mitogen-activated protein kinase; MAPK) signaling axis by mutations in KRAS or BRAF, which occur in a mutually exclusive manner in approx. 30-40% and 10% of CRC patients, respectively. KRAS and BRAF mutations are negative predictive markers for EGFR-targeted therapy of CRC.