Exploring the Therapeutic Impact of Targeting Brk in Epithelial-Derived Cancer Cells
Abstract
Breast tumor kinase (Brk) is highly expressed in breast cancer and plays essential roles in tumor cell survival, proliferation, migration, and invasion. Previous studies have validated Brk as a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer using genetic knockdown and small-molecule inhibitors. However, the therapeutic potential of Brk inhibition has not been investigated in non-breast epithelial cancers. In this study, we evaluated the antitumor effects of Brk suppression in prostate, pancreatic, and head and neck cancer cell lines by employing RNA interference and a selective Brk kinase inhibitor, both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, in colorectal and skin cancer cell lines, we examined the combinatorial antitumor effects of Brk inhibition with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors, radiation, and anti-programmed cell death-1 antibody therapy. Through these studies, we demonstrate that Brk inhibitors hold significant promise as novel therapeutic agents for epithelial cancers beyond breast cancer.
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BibTeX
@article{kozaki2026exploring,
title = {{Exploring the Therapeutic Impact of Targeting Brk in Epithelial-Derived Cancer Cells}},
author = {Ryohei Kozaki and Shingo Hotta and Koji Teraishi and Cuifang Li and Kenji Oritani and Tadashi Matsuda},
journal = {Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1248/bpb.b26-00303},
url = {https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bpb/49/9/49_b26-00303/_article},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Exploring the Therapeutic Impact of Targeting Brk in Epithelial-Derived Cancer Cells
AU - Ryohei Kozaki
AU - Shingo Hotta
AU - Koji Teraishi
AU - Cuifang Li
AU - Kenji Oritani
AU - Tadashi Matsuda
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
JO - Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin
DO - 10.1248/bpb.b26-00303
UR - https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bpb/49/9/49_b26-00303/_article
AB - Breast tumor kinase (Brk) is highly expressed in breast cancer and plays essential roles in tumor cell survival, proliferation, migration, and invasion. Previous studies have validated Brk as a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer using genetic knockdown and small-molecule inhibitors. However, the therapeutic potential of Brk inhibition has not been investigated in non-breast epithelial cancers. In this study, we evaluated the antitumor effects of Brk suppression in prostate, pancreatic, and head and neck cancer cell lines by employing RNA interference and a selective Brk kinase inhibitor, both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, in colorectal and skin cancer cell lines, we examined the combinatorial antitumor effects of Brk inhibition with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors, radiation, and anti-programmed cell death-1 antibody therapy. Through these studies, we demonstrate that Brk inhibitors hold significant promise as novel therapeutic agents for epithelial cancers beyond breast cancer.
SN - 1347-5215
SN - 0918-6158
ER -