Description:
Axl is a tyrosine kinase receptor playing a key role in several biological processes, as its activation promotes cell proliferation, survival, migration and angiogenesis. Axl receptor exhibits a cytoplasmic TK domain, a transmembrane region and an extracellular portion, harboring two N-terminal immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains and two fibronectin type III (FNIII) repeats. The growth arrest specific protein-6 (Gas6) is the natural ligand of Axl. Gas6 binds to the extracellular portion of Axl, leading to receptor dimerization and activation. The deregulation of Axl signaling has been associated to several high impact diseases, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and viral infections. Thus, Axl and Gas6 are emerging as novel and interesting molecular targets in drug discovery. Molecules that selectively bind to Axl receptor or Gas6 appear useful in biomedicine to develop new therapeutic agents or diagnostic tools. We aim at developing novel peptide molecules targeting Axl receptor and Gas6 using structure based rational design and the phage display library screening technique.