JNK-Induced Apoptosis, Compensatory Growth, and Cancer Stem Cells

Overwhelming evidence suggests that c-jun-NH2-kinases (JNK) are a set of key stress-responsive kinases that mediate cell apoptosis, which is an important process for tumor suppression. However, JNKs have also been implicated in the malignant transformation and tumorigenesis of cells. This review attempts to reconcile these 2 contradictory functions of JNKs with recent discoveries on the role of JNKs in compensatory growth of neighboring cells and stem cells, which may provide new mechanistic understanding about the role of JNKs in the regulation of cancer stem cells and the pathogenesis of cancers. Cancer Res; 72(2); 379-86. (C)2012 AACR.