Protein Kinase C-Theta (PKC?): A Rheostat in T cell Signaling and Cancer

Abstract

Pulak Ranjan Nath

Protein kinase C-theta (PKCθ) is a key enzyme in T lymphocytes signal transduction pathway that works downstream of the activated T cell receptor (TCR) and the CD28 receptor. This protein translocates to the center of the immunological synapse (IS) as T cells encounter an antigen. Depending on the quality and quantity of extracellular antigenic stimuli, PKCθ differentially phosphorylates and activates different effector molecules that mediate signal transduction into distinct subcellular compartments and activate the major T cell responsive transcription factors, NF-κB, NFAT and AP-1. Besides having a major biological role in T cells, PKCθ is also expressed at high levels in gastrointestinal stromal tumors, although the functional importance is not fully clear. The present manuscript shades light on the current understanding on PKCθ in T cell signaling and cancer.

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