Protein kinase A as a biological target in cancer therapy

BACKGROUND: cAMP is a second messenger that plays a role in intracellular signal transduction of various stimuli. a major function of cAMP in eukaryotes is activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). PKA is the best understood member of the serine-threonine protein kinase superfamily, and is involved in the control of a variety of cellular processes. since it has been implicated in the initiation and progression of many tumors, PKA has been suggested as a novel molecular target for cancer therapy. OBJECTIVE/METHODS: Here, after describing some features of cAMP/PKA signaling that are relevant to cancer biology, we review targeting of PKA in cancer therapy, also discussing PKA as a biomarker for cancer detection and monitoring of therapy. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: PKA is an increasingly relevant biological target in the therapy and management of cancer.