title: The Emerging Role of Cdk5 in Cancer.
abstract: Cdk5 is an atypical cyclin-dependent kinase that is well characterized for its role in the central nervous system rather than in the cell cycle. However Cdk5 has been recently implicated in the development and progression of a variety of cancers including breast, lung, colon, pancreatic, melanoma, thyroid and brain tumors. This broad pro-tumorigenic role makes Cdk5 a promising drug target for the development of new cancer therapies. Here we review the contribution of Cdk5 to molecular mechanisms that confer upon tumors the ability to grow, proliferate and disseminate to secondary organs, as well as resistance to chemotherapies. We subsequently discuss existing and new strategies for targeting Cdk5 and its downstream mechanisms as anti-cancer treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA; Department of Surgery, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX USA.
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pozo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL USA.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bibb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle; D051360:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004260:DNA Repair; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic
chemical_list: D051360:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5; C495905:CDK5 protein, human
keywords: Cdk5; cancer; resistance