The link between PKCα regulation and cellular transformation

Protein kinase Cα (PKCα) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that has been implicated in the regulation of a variety of cellular functions such as proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis in response to a diverse range of stimuli. In order to execute these biological events PKCα activity is modulated by, and functionally interacts with, a number of proto-oncogenes, therefore it is perhaps unsurprising that dysregulation of PKCα is associated with a diverse range of cancers. Recently, PKCα has become a target for a number of anti-cancer therapies. The purpose of this review is to describe how PKCα regulates key biological events, to gain an insight into how PKCα-mediated cellular transformation may occur. In this way, it may be possible to design therapeutic tools to combat cancers specifically associated with PKCα dysfunction.