CDK12: A Potent Target and Biomarker for Human Cancer Therapy

作者：Shujing Liang, Lifang Hu, Zixiang Wu, Zhihao Chen, Shuyu Liu, Xia Xu, Airong Qian · 发表于：Cells · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.3390/cells9061483 · 被引用次数：87 · 研究领域：Cancer-related Molecular Pathways、Ubiquitin and proteasome pathways、RNA modifications and cancer

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are a group of serine/threonine protein kinases and play crucial roles in various cellular processes by regulating cell cycle and gene transcription. Cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) is an important transcription-associated CDK. It shows versatile roles in regulating gene transcription, RNA splicing, translation, DNA damage response (DDR), cell cycle progression and cell proliferation. Recently, increasing evidence demonstrates the important role of CDK12 in various human cancers, illustrating it as both a biomarker of cancer and a potential target for cancer therapy. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of CDK12, and review the research advances of CDK12′s biological functions, especially its role in human cancers and as a potential target and biomarker for cancer therapy.