Targeting protein kinase C in sarcoma

Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014 Dec;1846(2):547-59. doi: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2014.10.002. Epub 2014 Oct 16.

Abstract

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of serine/threonine tyrosine kinases that regulate many cellular processes including division, proliferation, survival, anoikis and polarity. PKC is abundant in many human cancers and aberrant PKC signalling has been demonstrated in cancer models. On this basis, PKC has become an attractive target for small molecule inhibition within oncology drug development programmes. Sarcoma is a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal malignancies. Due to their relative insensitivity to conventional chemotherapies and the increasing recognition of the driving molecular events of sarcomagenesis, sarcoma provides an excellent platform to test novel therapeutics. In this review we provide a structure-function overview of the PKC family, the rationale for targeting these kinases in sarcoma and the state of play with regard to PKC inhibition in the clinic.

Keywords: Kinases; Protein kinase C; Sarcoma; Therapeutics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Humans
  • Protein Kinase C / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Protein Kinase C / chemistry
  • Protein Kinase C / physiology
  • Sarcoma / drug therapy*
  • Sarcoma / enzymology
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Protein Kinase C