Cancer Cell Invasion and Metastasis
The laboratory is interested in how cancer cells are able to dissociate from the primary tumour, invade the surrounding tissue and subsequently metastasise to distal sites. Tissue invasion and migration require cancer cells to reorganise their actin cytoskeleton as well as adhere to and degrade the surrounding extracellular matrix.
It is well established that cytoskeletal rearrangement, cell adhesion formation and turnover is regulated by Rho GTPases, Rho, Rac and Cdc42. PAKs are serine/threonine kinases that operate downstream of Rho GTPases to control cytoskeletal organisation and substratum adhesion.
The PAK family can be sub-divided into two groups; Group 1 PAKs (1-3) and Group 2 PAKs (4-6) based on sequence homology and members of both groups are activated by growth factor signalling pathways. We use live cell imaging, biochemical and molecular approaches to investigate the role of PAK family kinases in cancer cell migration, adhesion and invasion.
Key people
-
Dr Claire Wells (Group Leader)
-
Anna Dart (Post-Doc)
-
Fahim Ismail (PhD student)
-
Helen King (PhD Student)
-
Nicole Taylor (PhD Student)
-
Nouf Babteen (PhD student)
Lab Alumni
-
Sally Fram (PhD Student graduated)
-
Nur Fariesha Md. Hashim (PhD Student graduated)
-
Jennifer Mariyadas Msc. graduated 2010
-
Yashodhara Pawar Msc. graduated 2012
-
Bhavika Modasia graduated 1st class 2011 – now doing a PhD
-
Paul Atherton graduated 2012 1st class – now doing a PhD
Relevant publications
-
Whale AD, Dart A, Holt M, Jones GE, Wells CM (2012) PAK4 kinase activity and somatic mutation promote carcinoma cell motility and influence inhibitor sensitivity. Oncogene doi: 10.1038/onc.2012.233. [Epub ahead of print]
-
Wells CM, Whale D, Parsons M, Masters JRW and Jones GE (2010) PAK4: a pluripotent kinase that regulates prostate cancer cell adhesion. J Cell Sci. 123:1663-73
-
Wells CM and Jones GE (2010). The emerging importance of group II PAKs Biochem. J. (2010) 425, 465–473
-
Ahmed T, Masters JRW, Jones GE, Wells CM (2008). 'A PAK4-LIMK1 pathway drives prostate cancer cell migration downstream of HGF’ in Cellular Signalling 7:1320-8
-
Wells CM, Ahmed T, Master JRW, Jones GE (2005). 'Rho family GTPases are activated during HGF-stimulated prostate cancer cell scattering' in Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton 62:180-94
-
Wells CM, Abo A, Ridley AJ (2002) 'PAK4 is activated via PI3K in HGF-stimulated epithelial cells' in Journal of Cell Science 115:3947-56
Contact details
For general enquiries, please contact:
Dr Claire Wells
Email: claire.wells@kcl.ac.uk