HEF1 Proteins

Protein Information

HEF-1 is a multifunctional protein involved in integrin-based signaling that affects cell motility, growth, apoptosis and oncogenic transformation. The Cas family of docking proteins have been the subject of intense research because of their role in cell motility, growth, apoptosis and oncogenic transformation. These proteins are substrates of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and the Src family of tyrosine kinases two active targets for drug development. HEF1 protein production increases levels of mRNA transcripts that encode proteins associated with motility, cell transformation and invasiveness, including several metalloproteinases, MLCK, p160ROCK and ErbBi. HEF1 overproduction also mediates apoptosis in epithelial-derived cell lines, including MCF7 and HeLa cells. Recent clinical studies at another institution have found that overexpression of BCAR1 (p130Cas), a related protein, is associated with tamoxifen resistance. This highlights the importance of studying the role of this family of proteins in cancer prognosis.

Synonyms

Cas scaffolding protein family member 2; CAS2; CASL; CAS-L; cas-like docking; CASS2; Crk-associated substrate lymphocyte-specific protein; Crk-associated substrate related protein Cas-L; CRK-associated substrate-related protein; dJ49G10.2; dJ761I2.1; Enhancer of filamentation 1; Enhancer of filamentation 1 p55; hEF1; MEF1; NEDD9; NEDD-9; neural precursor cell expressed developmentally down-regulated protein 9; neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally down-regulated 9; neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally down-regulated gene 9; p105; p130Cas-related protein; renal carcinoma antigen NY-REN-12