Protein kinase D in vascular biology and angiogenesis.

The Protein Kinase D (PKD) family comprises diacylglycerol stimulated serine/threonine protein kinases that participate in many key signaling pathways in a diverse range of cells. Recent studies show that PKD isoforms 1 and 2 play critical roles in vascular biology and angiogenesis and there has been considerable progress in determining some of the key angiogenic signaling pathways mediated by PKD in endothelial cells. Less is currently known regarding the specific roles of PKD isoforms in endothelial cells and the role of PKD in smooth muscle cells. PKD is also emerging as a potentially important mediator of tumor growth and tumor angiogenesis and there is growing interest in PKD as a novel therapeutic target in cancer.