Preface

Excerpt

It has long been recognised that the abnormal regulation of protein phosphorylation plays an important role in the initiation and progression of malignant disease. Levels of protein phosphorylation reflect a balance between the opposing actions of protein kinases and protein phosphatases and the former are now well-established drug targets in anti-cancer therapy [1]. This issue of Cancer and Metastasis Reviews is devoted to the emerging roles of protein phosphatases in either the promotion or suppression of signal transduction events associated with cell transformation and tumour progression. The reviews collected here are authored by leaders in the field and provide fascinating insights into the nature of the interactions between protein phosphatases and the signalling pathways that underlie key processes involved in cancer. In certain cases, they also suggest how the activities of this important class of signalling proteins might be manipulated to therapeutic advantage in novel approaches to cancer therapy. …