ROS1 is a receptor tyrosine kinase of the insulin receptor family; the overexpression of overactivity of ROS1 fusion proteins due to chromosomal rearrangement is associated with various cancers, including glioblastomas and lung cancer. The identification of ROS1 fusion genes as driver genes has broadened the anticancer indication of the variety of the inhibitors of other targets, such as Crizotinib, Alectinib, Ceritinib, and Brigatinib, which can also inhibit the activation of ROS1.
Ba/F3 cell, a murine interleukin-3 dependent pro-B cell line, is a popular system for exploring both kinases and their inhibitors, because some protein kinases can render the Ba/F3 cells to be depended on the activation of the kinases instead of IL-3 supplement, while their inhibitors can antagonize the kinase-dependent growth effects.