Abstract:

High expression of c-MET and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is frequently found in tumor cells. The activation of c-Met signaling pathway triggers a series of signaling cascade reaction, leads to the growth, proliferation and invasion of tumor cells, and exempts tumor cells from apoptosis. HGF is the ligand of c-Met, and affects the formation of microenvironment of tumor cells. How HGF activates c-Met and the signaling pathway of its downstream components, and how the crosstalk of the signaling pathway mediated by c-Met and the other receptors affects the drug resistance are introduced in this paper. Besides, the research progress of HGF and c-Met signaling pathway inhibitors is also reviewed.

Key words: c-Met, hepatocyte growth factor, c-Met antagonists, signaling pathway