Protein Kinase Cε, which Sensitizes Skin to Sun's UV Radiation–Induced Cutaneous Damage and Development of Squamous Cell Carcinomas, Associates with Stat3
February 2007
in “
Cancer Research
”
TLDR Protein Kinase Cε increases skin sensitivity to UV damage and skin cancer risk.
The study demonstrated that protein kinase Cε (PKCε) acted as an endogenous photosensitizer, increasing sensitivity to UV radiation-induced skin damage and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) development. PKCε-overexpressing transgenic mice showed heightened sensitivity to UVR, leading to constitutive phosphorylation of Stat3 at Tyr705 and Ser727 residues, which was not observed in PKCδ-overexpressing mice. This phosphorylation was linked to increased expression of Stat3-regulated genes. The research identified PKCε as a Stat3Ser727 kinase, suggesting that PKCε-mediated phosphorylation of Stat3 at Ser727 was crucial for its transcriptional activity and played a significant role in the mechanism by which PKCε increased susceptibility to UVR-induced SCC.