Back to discover

Protein / target

Protein kinase C alpha type

Encoded byPRKCAP17252Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
1
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
View by indication →
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Diacylglycerol-dependent serine/threonine kinase

Strongest disease association

Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic

Via encoding gene PRKCA · Genetic evidence · score 0.80

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Small molecules

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 overview

Calcium-activated, phospholipid- and diacylglycerol (DAG)-dependent serine/threonine-protein kinase that is involved in positive and negative regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, migration and adhesion, tumorigenesis, cardiac hypertrophy, angiogenesis, platelet function and…

View complete UniProt function annotation

Calcium-activated, phospholipid- and diacylglycerol (DAG)-dependent serine/threonine-protein kinase that is involved in positive and negative regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, migration and adhesion, tumorigenesis, cardiac hypertrophy, angiogenesis, platelet function and inflammation, by directly phosphorylating targets such as RAF1, BCL2, CSPG4, TNNT2/CTNT, or activating signaling cascade involving MAPK1/3 (ERK1/2) and RAP1GAP. Involved in cell proliferation and cell growth arrest by positive and negative regulation of the cell cycle. Can promote cell growth by phosphorylating and activating RAF1, which mediates the activation of the MAPK/ERK signaling cascade, and/or by up-regulating CDKN1A, which facilitates active cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) complex formation in glioma cells. In intestinal cells stimulated by the phorbol ester PMA, can trigger a cell cycle arrest program which is associated with the accumulation of the hyper-phosphorylated growth-suppressive form of RB1 and induction of the CDK inhibitors CDKN1A and CDKN1B. Exhibits anti-apoptotic function in glioma cells and protects them from apoptosis by suppressing the p53/TP53-mediated activation of IGFBP3, and in leukemia cells mediates anti-apoptotic action by phosphorylating BCL2. During macrophage differentiation induced by macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF1), is translocated to the nucleus and is associated with macrophage development. After wounding, translocates from focal contacts to lamellipodia and participates in the modulation of desmosomal adhesion. Plays a role in cell motility by phosphorylating CSPG4, which induces association of CSPG4 with extensive lamellipodia at the cell periphery and polarization of the cell accompanied by increases in cell motility. During chemokine-induced CD4(+) T cell migration, phosphorylates CDC42-guanine exchange factor DOCK8 resulting in its dissociation from LRCH1 and the activation of GTPase CDC42 (PubMed:28028151). Is highly expressed in a number of cancer cells where it can act as a tumor promoter and is implicated in malignant phenotypes of several tumors such as gliomas and breast cancers. Negatively regulates myocardial contractility and positively regulates angiogenesis, platelet aggregation and thrombus formation in arteries. Mediates hypertrophic growth of neonatal cardiomyocytes, in part through a MAPK1/3 (ERK1/2)-dependent signaling pathway, and upon PMA treatment, is required to induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy up to heart failure and death, by increasing protein synthesis, protein-DNA ratio and cell surface area. Regulates cardiomyocyte function by phosphorylating cardiac troponin T (TNNT2/CTNT), which induces significant reduction in actomyosin ATPase activity, myofilament calcium sensitivity and myocardial contractility. In angiogenesis, is required for full endothelial cell migration, adhesion to vitronectin (VTN), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA)-dependent regulation of kinase activation and vascular tube formation. Involved in the stabilization of VEGFA mRNA at post-transcriptional level and mediates VEGFA-induced cell proliferation. In the regulation of calcium-induced platelet aggregation, mediates signals from the CD36/GP4 receptor for granule release, and activates the integrin heterodimer ITGA2B-ITGB3 through the RAP1GAP pathway for adhesion. During response to lipopolysaccharides (LPS), may regulate selective LPS-induced macrophage functions involved in host defense and inflammation. But in some inflammatory responses, may negatively regulate NF-kappa-B-induced genes, through IL1A-dependent induction of NF-kappa-B inhibitor alpha (NFKBIA/IKBA). Upon stimulation with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), phosphorylates EIF4G1, which modulates EIF4G1 binding to MKNK1 and may be involved in the regulation of EIF4E phosphorylation. Phosphorylates KIT, leading to inhibition of KIT activity. Phosphorylates ATF2 which promotes cooperation between ATF2 and JUN, activating transcription. Phosphorylates SOCS2 at 'Ser-52' facilitating its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation (By similarity). Phosphorylates KLHL3 in response to angiotensin II signaling, decreasing the interaction between KLHL3 and WNK4 (PubMed:25313067). Phosphorylates and activates LRRK1, which phosphorylates RAB proteins involved in intracellular trafficking (PubMed:36040231)

Subcellular location

CytoplasmCell membraneMitochondrion membraneNucleus
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (67)

Domains & features

C2Protein kinaseAGC-kinase C-terminal

Gene Ontology

  • Calphav-beta3 integrin-PKCalpha complex
  • Cciliary basal body
  • Ccytoplasm
  • Ccytosol
  • Cendoplasmic reticulum
  • Cextracellular exosome
  • Cmitochondrial membrane
  • Cmitochondrion
  • Cnucleoplasm
  • Cperinuclear region of cytoplasm
  • Cplasma membrane
  • FATP binding

672 aa · 77 kDa

Biological roles

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

Cell migrationUniProt · GOCell-cycle regulationUniProt · GOSynaptic signallingGOCell proliferation & survivalUniProtOncogenic signallingUniProtLipid & lipoprotein metabolismUniProt
View supporting evidence

Cell migration

  • ·Calcium-activated, phospholipid- and diacylglycerol (DAG)-dependent serine/threonine-pro…
  • ·positive regulation of blood vessel endothelial cell migration
  • ·positive regulation of cell migration
  • ·positive regulation of endothelial cell migration

Cell-cycle regulation

  • ·Calcium-activated, phospholipid- and diacylglycerol (DAG)-dependent serine/threonine-pro…
  • ·positive regulation of mitotic cell cycle

Synaptic signalling

  • ·positive regulation of synapse assembly

Cell proliferation & survival

  • ·Calcium-activated, phospholipid- and diacylglycerol (DAG)-dependent serine/threonine-pro…

Oncogenic signalling

  • ·Calcium-activated, phospholipid- and diacylglycerol (DAG)-dependent serine/threonine-pro…

Lipid & lipoprotein metabolism

  • ·Calcium-activated, phospholipid- and diacylglycerol (DAG)-dependent serine/threonine-pro…

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

Approved medicines with mapped indications

1 medicine · 4 areas

Approved therapies targeting this protein, grouped by what they are approved to treat — the disease-first view of the medicines below. Relationships come from the canonical approved-indication graph (ChEMBL phase-4), the same source as the drug cards.

Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute1 medicine
Mastocytosis1 medicine
Mastocytosis, Systemic1 medicine
Broader indication categories (1)
Neoplasms1 medicine

Broad umbrella indications (e.g. “Neoplasms”). Shown here because every medicine also appears under a more specific disease above — kept for completeness, de-emphasised for clarity.

Approved indications from ChEMBL (phase-4), via the canonical drug→disease graph.

Drugs targeting this protein

1

How approved and investigational drugs engage this protein — mechanism and action type, direct vs complex targeting, and how broadly each acts across other targets. A drug-first view (the section above groups the approved ones disease-first); direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

midostaurin
ApprovedInhibitor

Protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor

Indicated for Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute, Mastocytosis, Mastocytosis, Systemic, Neoplasms

Acts on a complex — shared with PRKD3, PRKCI, PRKCG +7 more · 1 of 16 recorded protein targets — broad pharmacology

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

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene PRKCA

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene PRKCA that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic
0.85Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.51

Heart Failure
0.73Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.45

Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute
0.69Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.55

Neoplasms
0.54Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.41

Neurodegenerative Diseases
0.25Preliminary

Pathway evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.37 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

View evidence synthesis (5)
Cardiomyopathy, HypertrophicWell supported
0.85
agreement 0.730.97
Genetic73%Animal model26%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.51 · 3 independent evidence families

Heart FailureModerately supported
0.73
agreement 0.590.87
Genetic90%Literature10%

Open Targets aggregate 0.45 · 2 independent evidence families

Leukemia, Myeloid, AcuteModerately supported
0.69
agreement 0.530.84
Clinical92%Literature9%

Open Targets aggregate 0.55 · 2 independent evidence families

NeoplasmsModerately supported
0.54
agreement 0.390.70
Clinical77%Literature23%

Open Targets aggregate 0.41 · 2 independent evidence families

Neurodegenerative DiseasesPreliminary
0.25
agreement 0.070.42
Pathway98%Literature3%

Open Targets aggregate 0.37 · 2 independent evidence families · no direct causal or clinical evidence

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 per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute0.55
Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic0.51
Heart Failure0.45
Neoplasms0.41
Neurodegenerative Diseases0.37

Drug development

6 compounds recorded · 1 approved · 5 in clinical development

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines. Distinct from the 1 drug that targets this protein in Forefront's canonical graph (1 with a mapped approved indication, shown above): these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (6)
GSK-690693Phase 1
CEP-2563Phase 1
UCN-01Phase 2
APRINOCARSENPhase 3
SOTRASTAURINPhase 2
MIDOSTAURINApproval

Open Targets known-drugs universe. Drug name and highest clinical stage only — the disease relationship is NOT read from this slice (it carries trial-context noise); approved indications come from the canonical graph above.

Tractability

Small moleculesStrong

Approved Drug and Structure with Ligand support this modality.

AntibodiesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot loc high conf and go cc high conf) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (database ubiquitination and half-life data) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (11)
SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · High-Quality PocketSM · Druggable FamilyAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · Human Protein Atlas locPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Safety-related annotations

heart diseaseForce et al. (2011)

Terms indexed against this target in Open Targets' safety data, with their datasource. These are annotations, not causal claims: the direction of effect (whether activation or inhibition is implicated), species and evidence strength are not captured here, so an entry does not mean that modulating this target is known to cause that condition.

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. Ranked by active status, then clinical phase and recency, and spread across the targeting drugs.

View all trials (26)

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

What's happening now

3

Recent therapeutic activity around this target — regulatory actions, clinical trials and safety signals for a drug that targets this protein, plus publications where such a drug is a genuine subject. Every item is reached indirectly through the drug, not the protein itself; incidental mentions (a paper that merely measures a drug) and press items are excluded.

  1. Regulatory approval2017-09-18

    Approval: Rydapt (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via midostaurin

  2. New publication2017-07-24
    Efficacy and safety of midostaurin in patients with advanced systemic mastocytosis: 10-year median follow-up of a phase II trial.

    Leukemia · 2018 · 109 citations · Europe PMC · via midostaurin

  3. New publication2016-06-01
    Efficacy and Safety of Midostaurin in Advanced Systemic Mastocytosis.

    The New England journal of medicine · 2016 · 371 citations · Europe PMC · via midostaurin

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.