ABSTRACT
Protein Kinase C theta (PKCθ) is a serine/threonine kinase that belongs to the novel PKC subfamily. In normal tissue, its expression is restricted to skeletal muscle cells, platelets and T lymphocytes in which PKCθ controls several essential cellular processes such as survival, proliferation and differentiation. Particularly, PKCθ has been extensively studied for its role in the immune system where its translocation to the immunological synapse plays a critical role in T cell activation. Beyond its physiological role in immune responses, increasing evidence implicates PKCθ in the pathology of various diseases, especially autoimmune disorders and cancers. In this review, we discuss the implication of PKCθ in various types of cancers and the PKCθ-mediated signaling events controlling cancer initiation and progression. In these types of cancers, the high PKCθ expression leads to aberrant cell proliferation, migration and invasion resulting in malignant phenotype. The recent development and application of PKCθ inhibitors in the context of autoimmune diseases could benefit the emergence of treatment for cancers in which PKCθ has been implicated.
Subject(s)
Autoimmune Diseases/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Neoplasms/genetics , Protein Kinase C-theta/genetics , Protein Subunits/genetics , Signal Transduction/genetics , Animals , Autoimmune Diseases/enzymology , Autoimmune Diseases/immunology , Autoimmune Diseases/pathology , Cell Movement , Cell Proliferation , Humans , NF-kappa B/genetics , NF-kappa B/metabolism , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Neoplasm Metastasis , Neoplasms/enzymology , Neoplasms/immunology , Neoplasms/pathology , Protein Binding , Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs , Protein Kinase C-theta/chemistry , Protein Kinase C-theta/immunology , Protein Subunits/chemistry , Protein Subunits/immunology , Th17 Cells/immunology , Th17 Cells/pathology , Th2 Cells/immunology , Th2 Cells/pathologyABSTRACT
The ability of marine invertebrate larvae to control their vertical position shapes their dispersal pattern. In species characterized by large variations in population density, like many echinoderm species, larval dispersal may contribute to outbreak and die-off phenomena. A proliferation of the ophiuroid Ophiocomina nigra was observed for several years in western Brittany (France), inducing drastic changes on the benthic communities. We here studied the larval vertical distribution in this species and two co-occurring ophiuroid species, Ophiothrix fragilis and Amphiura filiformis, in two contrasting hydrodynamic environments: stratified in the bay of Douarnenez and well-mixed in the bay of Brest. Larvae were collected at 3 depths during 25 h within each bay. In the bay of Brest, all larvae were evenly distributed in the water column due to the intense vertical mixing. Conversely, in the bay of Douarnenez, a diel vertical migration was observed for O. nigra, with a night ascent of young larvae, and ontogenetic differences. These different patterns in the two bays mediate the effects of tidal currents on larval fluxes. O. fragilis larvae were mainly distributed above the thermocline which may favour larval retention within the bay, while A. filiformis larvae, mostly concentrated near the bottom, were preferentially exported. This study highlighted the complex interactions between coastal hydrodynamics and specific larval traits, e.g. larval morphology, in the control of larval vertical distribution and larval dispersal.