Protein / target

Cyclin-dependent kinase 6

CDK6Q00534Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
5
Approved medicines
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Cyclin-dependent protein serine/threonine kinase activity

Primary system

Nervous system

Strongest disease association

Behcet disease

Genetic evidence · score 0.68

Therapeutic maturity

Clinically validated target

5 approved medicines against this target

Druggability

Small molecule

Open Targets tractability · Approved Drug

Clinical development

5 approved · 7 in clinical development

30 linked trials

Research activity

Emerging research

6 papers · latest 2024

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function

Serine/threonine-protein kinase involved in the control of the cell cycle and differentiation; promotes G1/S transition. Phosphorylates pRB/RB1 and NPM1. Interacts with D-type G1 cyclins during interphase at G1 to form a pRB/RB1 kinase and controls the entrance into the cell cycle. Involved in initiation and maintenance of cell cycle exit during cell differentiation; prevents cell proliferation and negatively regulates cell differentiation, but is required for the proliferation of specific cell types (e.g. erythroid and hematopoietic cells). Essential for cell proliferation within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles. Required during thymocyte development. Promotes the production of newborn neurons, probably by modulating G1 length. Promotes, at least in astrocytes, changes in patterns of gene expression, changes in the actin cytoskeleton including loss of stress fibers, and enhanced motility during cell differentiation. Prevents myeloid differentiation by interfering with RUNX1 and reducing its transcription transactivation activity, but promotes proliferation of normal myeloid progenitors. Delays senescence. Promotes the proliferation of beta-cells in pancreatic islets of Langerhans. May play a role in the centrosome organization during the cell cycle phases (PubMed:23918663)

Subcellular location

CytoplasmNucleusCell projection, ruffleCytoplasm, cytoskeleton, microtubule organizing center, centrosome
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (42)

Domains & features

Protein kinase

Gene Ontology

  • Ccentrosome
  • Ccyclin D2-CDK6 complex
  • Ccyclin-dependent protein kinase holoenzyme complex
  • Ccytoplasm
  • Ccytosol
  • Cnucleoplasm
  • Cnucleus
  • Cruffle
  • FATP binding
  • Fcyclin binding
  • Fcyclin-dependent protein serine/threonine kinase activity
  • FFBXO family protein binding

326 aa · 37 kDa

Biological roles

Reactome v97

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Kinase signallingUniProt · GOTranscriptional regulationUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Kinase signalling

  • ·Serine/threonine-protein kinase involved in the control of the cell cycle and differenti…
  • ·cyclin-dependent protein kinase holoenzyme complex
  • ·cyclin-dependent protein serine/threonine kinase activity
  • ·protein serine kinase activity

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·Serine/threonine-protein kinase involved in the control of the cell cycle and differenti…
  • ·regulation of gene expression
View underlying pathways (9)

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Interaction neighbourhood

STRING v12.0

Proteins with the strongest functional or physical association. Node size and line weight reflect STRING confidence; hover or select a partner to inspect one association.

CCND3CDKN1ACDKN2CCDK4CDKN2BCCNE1CCNL2CDKN2DCCND1CCNA2CDK6

10 strongest partners — larger node and heavier line mean higher confidence

Functional and physical associations from STRING v12.0. Only associations with this protein are drawn — partner-to-partner links are not part of this evidence.

Drugs targeting this protein

3

Whether each drug engages this protein directly or through a complex, and how many other targets are recorded for it. Direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

abemaciclib
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Cyclin-dependent kinase 6 inhibitor

Appears in clinical studies involving breast cancer, breast neoplasm, neoplasm, breast carcinoma

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 2 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

ribociclib
Narrow target profilePhase 3Inhibitor

Cyclin-dependent kinase 6 inhibitor

Appears in clinical studies involving breast cancer, melanoma, hematopoietic and lymphoid cell neoplasm, teratoma

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 2 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

palbociclib
ApprovedInhibitor

CDK6/cyclin D1 inhibitor

Appears in clinical studies involving breast cancer, breast carcinoma, breast neoplasm, neoplasm

Acts on a complex — shared with CCND1 · 1 of 3 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

ChEMBL mechanism, action type and target identity. Open Targets clinical status and indications.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically — disease associations, drugs in development, tractability and safety, from Open Targets.

Strongest genetic associations

Human genetic evidence — the most direct causal link between this target and a disease.

Behcet disease0.68

Genetic · overall 0.42

autosomal recessive primary microcephaly0.61

Genetic literature · overall 0.52

clear cell renal carcinoma0.53

Genetic · overall 0.41

Highest-confidence therapeutic associations

Diseases where a drug acting on this target has already reached clinical development.

breast cancer0.99

Clinical · overall 0.62

small cell lung carcinoma0.88

Clinical · overall 0.62

breast carcinoma0.87

Clinical · overall 0.61

breast neoplasm0.86

Clinical · overall 0.53

neoplasm0.84

Clinical · overall 0.57

Highest overall evidence

Remaining associations by Open Targets' aggregated evidence score.

neurodegenerative disease0.49

Pathway

prostate adenocarcinoma0.42

Somatic mutation

Show all associations
breast cancer0.62
small cell lung carcinoma0.62
breast carcinoma0.61
neoplasm0.57
breast neoplasm0.53
autosomal recessive primary microcephaly0.52
neurodegenerative disease0.49
Behcet disease0.42
prostate adenocarcinoma0.42
clear cell renal carcinoma0.41

Open Targets ranks 674 associations for this target and we store the top 10 by aggregated score. The long tail is largely literature co-mention and RNA-expression evidence, not evidence that this target drives those diseases.

Known drugs · 12 total

RIBOCICLIBPhase 3

breast cancer · melanoma · hematopoietic and lymphoid cell neoplasm

AZD-5438Phase 1
RONICICLIBPhase 2

small cell lung carcinoma · small cell lung carcinoma · non-small cell lung carcinoma

TRILACICLIB DIHYDROCHLORIDEApproval

small cell lung carcinoma

PHA-793887Phase 1
ALVOCIDIBPhase 3

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia · acute myeloid leukemia by FAB classification · non-Hodgkin lymphoma

ABEMACICLIBApproval

breast cancer · breast neoplasm · neoplasm

RIBOCICLIB SUCCINATEApproval

breast cancer · breast neoplasm · neoplasm

TRILACICLIBApproval

small cell lung carcinoma · myelosuppression · triple-negative breast carcinoma

UCN-01Phase 2

non-small cell lung carcinoma · kidney cancer · renal cell carcinoma

Tractability

SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · High-Quality PocketSM · Druggable FamilyPR · LiteraturePR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Safety liabilities

regulation of catalytic activity

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein.

Show remaining trials (24)

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

Research activity

6 papers · to 2024

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Recent

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.

Forefront confidence

Synthesis

Our own weighting of the evidence behind each disease association. Human genetics and clinical evidence count for most; literature co-mention counts for little, because two entities sharing an abstract is not evidence that one drives the other.

small cell lung carcinomaWell supported
0.79
agreement 0.670.91
Clinical62%Somatic mutation28%Literature10%

Open Targets aggregate 0.62 · 3 independent evidence families

breast carcinomaWell supported
0.79
agreement 0.670.90
Clinical61%Somatic mutation28%Literature10%RNA expression1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.61 · 4 independent evidence families

breast cancerWell supported
0.77
agreement 0.610.92
Clinical87%Literature13%

Open Targets aggregate 0.62 · 2 independent evidence families

neoplasmModerately supported
0.75
agreement 0.630.87
Clinical65%Somatic mutation20%Literature15%

Open Targets aggregate 0.57 · 3 independent evidence families

clear cell renal carcinomaModerately supported
0.72
agreement 0.630.81
Genetic55%Somatic mutation30%Clinical13%Literature2%

Open Targets aggregate 0.41 · 4 independent evidence families

This ranking differs from Open Targets' own: re-weighting moves genetically-evidenced diseases above more heavily co-mentioned ones. The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the underlying per-type scores are shown above so the calculation can be checked.

What's happening now

60

Recent activity around this target, drawn from one canonical event stream. Every item is reached through 3 drugs that target this protein, so each event is news about that drug rather than about the protein directly.

  1. Trial status changed2026-07-22

    Phase I Study of the Pan-ERBB Inhibitor Neratinib Given in Combination With Everolimus, Palbociclib, or Trametinib in Advanced Cancer Subjects With EGFR Mutation/Amplification, HER2 Mutation/Amplification, or HER3/4 Mutation or KRAS Mutation

    Status changed to Terminated · ClinicalTrials.gov · via palbociclib

  2. Indication expanded2026-07-13

    Indication expansion: ABEMACICLIB (NDA208716)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via abemaciclib

  3. Trial status changed2026-07-06

    PIKture-01: First-in-Human Study of the PI3KαH1047R Mutant-Selective Inhibitor OKI-219 as Monotherapy in Participants With Advanced Solid Tumors and as Part of Combination Therapy in Participants With Advanced Breast Cancer

    Status changed to Active, not recruiting · ClinicalTrials.gov · via ribociclib

  4. Indication expanded2026-07-01

    Indication expansion: RIBOCICLIB (NDA209092)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via ribociclib

  5. Indication expanded2026-06-24

    Indication expansion: PALBOCICLIB (NDA212436)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via palbociclib

  6. Indication expanded2026-06-24

    Indication expansion: PALBOCICLIB (NDA207103)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via palbociclib

  7. Regulatory approval2026-06-19

    Approval: Palbociclib Viatris (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via palbociclib

  8. Indication expanded2025-09-16

    Indication expansion: PALBOCICLIB (NDA212436)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via palbociclib

  9. Indication expanded2025-09-16

    Indication expansion: PALBOCICLIB (NDA207103)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via palbociclib

  10. Supplemental approval2025-09-16

    Supplemental approval: RIBOCICLIB (NDA209092)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via ribociclib

  11. Label change2025-07-28

    Label change: RIBOCICLIB (NDA209092)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via ribociclib

  12. Indication expanded2025-04-23

    Indication expansion: PALBOCICLIB (NDA212436)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via palbociclib

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.