Protein kinase D1: gatekeeper of the epithelial phenotype and key regulator of cancer metastasis?
Menée in vitro et in vivo sur des modèles de cancer de la prostate, cette étude met en évidence des mécanismes par lesquels, en régulant l'activité de la protéine MTA1, la protéine kinase PKD1 favorise le processus métastatique
The development of epithelial cancer and subsequent metastasis goes along with loss of cellular polarity and cell–cell connections (Gandalovicova et al, 2016). Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and reorganisation of the extracellular matrix by secreted matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are key mechanisms in the separation of tumour cells from the surrounding cells, and their dissemination to distant locations in the body (Nistico et al, 2012). Recent work by several groups suggests that protein kinase D (PKD) enzymes serve crucial functions in regulating multiple processes in maintaining the epithelial phenotype. A new article in this issue of the British Journal of Cancer (Ganju et al, 2018) has shed further light on this role.