The N-term phosphorylation of Retinoblastoma (RB) by the p38 stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) makes RB insensitive to cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-Cyclin inhibition, which enhances the transcriptional repression of E2F-driven promoters and delays tumor cell growth. This novel mechanism of RB regulation opens up a window for developing new cancer drug treatments for tumors harboring high CDK-Cyclin activity and a wild-type RB gene.
Keywords: CDK; Cellular stress; p38; retinoblastoma; tumor suppressor.