protein kinase C

Meaning of protein kinase C: Because several distinct forms of PKC exist, the enzyme influences cell growth, programmed cell death, and other processes well beyond a single role.

Definition of protein kinase C

Protein kinase C, abbreviated PKC, is not a single enzyme but a family of related enzymes found throughout the body's tissues that add a phosphate group to other proteins, a chemical modification called phosphorylation that can switch a target protein's activity on or off. This activity places PKC within a broader category of enzymes called kinases, many of which regulate how cells respond to outside signals.

Several distinct forms of PKC exist, and collectively they participate in numerous cellular processes, including regulating cell growth and division, programmed cell death, and how cells respond to hormones and other outside signaling molecules, activity that varies depending on which specific form of PKC and which tissue is involved.

Because PKC signaling influences cell growth and survival broadly, abnormal PKC activity has been studied in relation to several diseases, including cancer, though its role extends well beyond any single disease process, reflecting its involvement in ordinary cell signaling throughout the body.