KRAS

KRAS, the Kirsten rat sarcoma virus oncogene homologue", alias KRAS4A and KRAS4B, are two variants derived from different spliced forms of the same gene.The protein encoded by the KRAS gene belongs to the small GTPase of the RAS superfamily, a molecular switch that plays a key role in intracellular signaling pathways. It regulates its active state by binding to guanine nucleoside diphosphate (GDP) or guanine nucleoside triphosphate (GTP). In normal cells, KRAS is tightly controlled by upstream signals such as EGFR activation, and its activity periodically switches between activation and inactivation to maintain the stability of the intracellular environment.

KRAS is biologically very important, and it is involved in the regulation of key physiological processes, such as cell growth, differentiation, survival, and migration.KRAS proteins are important in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and migration by activating a number of pathways, including the RAF-MEK-ERK ( MAPK) pathway, PI3K-AKT pathway, and Ral-GEFs pathway, affecting the physiological functions of cells. When KRAS is mutated, such as the common G12D, G12V, G13D, etc., it will be locked in a state of sustained activation, leading to imbalance in cellular signaling, and promoting disordered proliferation and survival of tumor cells, which is closely related to the development of a variety of tumors. Therefore, KRAS is a challenging and important target in tumor therapy, and targeted therapy against KRAS mutations is becoming a hot spot in cancer therapy research.