TAM Family Receptors and Ligands in Health and Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are essential in cellular communication and biological processes, from development to the use of nutrients to response to injury. Among the family of RTK genes, the last to be discovered were the receptors of the TAM group (an acronym for Tyro3, Axl and MerTK), three proteins sharing the same molecular architecture. These had a series of interesting characteristics that contrasted with other families of RTKs: they were not essential to the development of the organism, they were not considered oncogenic drivers of primary tumors, and they share ligands, the homologous vitamin K-dependent proteins GAS6 and protein S. Although initially their function was not clearly defined, they now appear as essential components in the modulation of the immune response and the recovery of damaged tissues including lung, liver, heart and brain. In addition, they appear to play an important role in cancer, where they are frequently overexpressed, associated with a worse prognosis and with resistance to chemotherapy, making them interesting targets in this disease. In this Special Issue, we want to offer a sample of recent studies on the function of these proteins, as well as a series of reviews that provide an up-to-date summary of the knowledge we have about this fascinating system.

Dr. Pablo García De Frutos
Dr. Sassan Hafizi
Guest Editors

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• receptor tyrosine kinase
• vitamin K
• immunomodulation
• efferocytosis
• growth factors
• cellular signaling
• TAMs, GAS6, protein S