Dual role of GRK5 in cancer development and progression

GRK5 is a multifunctional protein that is able to move within the cell in response to various stimuli to regulate key intracellular signaling from receptor activation, on plasmamembrane, to gene transcription, in the nucleus. Thus, GRK5 is involved in the development and progression of several pathological conditions including cancer. Several reports underline the involvement of GRK5 in the regulation of tumor growth even if they appear controversial. Indeed, depending on its subcellular localization and on the type of cancer, GRK5 is able to both inhibit cancer progression, through the desensitization of GPCR and non GPCR-receptors (TSH, PGE2R, PDGFR), and induce tumor growth, acting on non-receptor substrates (p53, AUKA and NPM1). All these findings suggest that targeting GRK5 could be an useful anti-cancer strategy, for specific tumor types. In this review, we will discuss the different effects of this kinase in the induction and progression of tumorigenesis, the molecular mechanisms by which GRK5 exerts its effects, and the potential therapeutic strategies to modulate them.