The multifaceted role of lemur tyrosine kinase 3 in health and disease

• Main Authors: Angeliki Ditsiou, Teresa Gagliano, Mark Samuels, Viviana Vella, Christos Tolias, Georgios Giamas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 2021-09-01
• Series: Open Biology
• Subjects: LMTK3; protein kinase; CNS; cancer; small molecule kinase inhibitor
• Online Access: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsob.210218

In the last decade, LMTK3 (lemur tyrosine kinase 3) has emerged as an important player in breast cancer, contributing to the advancement of disease and the acquisition of resistance to therapy through a strikingly complex set of mechanisms. Although the knowledge of its physiological function is largely limited to receptor trafficking in neurons, there is mounting evidence that LMTK3 promotes oncogenesis in a wide variety of cancers. Recent studies have broadened our understanding of LMTK3 and demonstrated its importance in numerous signalling pathways, culminating in the identification of a potent and selective LMTK3 inhibitor. Here, we review the roles of LMTK3 in health and disease and discuss how this research may be used to develop novel therapeutics to advance cancer treatment.