Evaluating DAPK as a therapeutic target.

Death associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK) is an important serine/theoreine kinase involved in various cellular processes such as apoptosis, autophagy and inflammation. DAPK expression and activity are misregulated in multiple diseases including cancer, neuronal death, stoke, et al. Methylation of the DAPK gene is common in many types of cancer and can lead to loss of DAPK expression. In this review, we summarize the pathological status and functional roles of DAPK in disease and compare the published reagents that can manipulate the expression or activity of DAPK. The pleiotropic functions of DAPK make it an intriguing target and the barriers and opportunities for targeting DAPK for future clinical application are discussed.