What is it about?
This review examines what the AXL receptor does and how its activity is controlled. Because some parts of AXL biology are still unclear, we focus on how the receptor is cleaved and how its mRNA can be spliced in different ways. These processes can create two forms of AXL (AXL isoforms), which may change how the receptor is broken down and how it sends signals.
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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
Why is it important?
As AXL inhibitors are tested in more clinical trials, learning more about AXL and its different forms could help researchers develop better cancer treatment.
Perspectives
Research on AXL is moving forward, but many questions remain. We still do not fully understand how the two forms of AXL differ, how exactly they affect epithelial-mesenchymal transition, or how soluble AXL (sAXL) contributes to cancer growth, spread, and resistance to treatment. Most current studies focus on blocking AXL’s activity, stopping it from binding to GAS6, or lowering its levels. Researchers need to explore broader approaches that address these unanswered questions. Since AXL sends complex signals and its forms may work differently, treatments that target AXL may need to be more carefully tailored. Future clinical studies can test whether sAXL helps identify patients who may benefit from AXL-targeted treatment and track how their tumours respond to AXL inhibition.
Ilona Malikova
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: RTK AXL and its Isoforms: Regulation and Implications in Cancer, Current Medicinal Chemistry, June 2026, Bentham Science Publishers,
DOI: 10.2174/0109298673382005250828124053.
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