Abstract

A BRIEF INSIGHT ON ANCHORING PROTEINS: PROTEIN KINASE-A

Nikhil Shrivastava*, Nem Kumar Jain, Manish Kumar Pathak and Vibhu Jha

Abstract

AKAPs are a diverse family of about 75 scaffolding proteins. They are defined by the presence of a structurally conserved protein kinase A (PKA)-binding domain. AKAPs tether PKA and other signaling proteins to cellular compartments and thereby limit and integrate cellular signalling processes at specific sites. AKAP-dependent Control of cAMP/PKA Signalling A large variety of extracellular stimuli including hormones and neurotransmitters elicit the generation of the second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). In addition to PKA, PDEs and protein phosphatases involved in cAMP signalling, AKAPs interact with other signalling proteins whose activation depends on second messengers other than cAMP, e.g.Ca2+. Disturbances of compartmentalized cAMP signalling in processes such as the ones mentioned above cause or are associated with major diseases including congestive heart failure, diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, obesity, diseases of the immune system (e.g. AIDS), cancer and neurological disorders including schizophrenia. However, AKAPs participating in compartmentalized cAMP signalling networks are not targeted by drugs which are currently applied for the treatment of such diseases.

Keywords: Anchoring proteins, PDEs, protein kinase A, cyclic adenosine monophosphate.