Importance in the Field
Phosphatases of Regenerating Liver (PRLs) are novel oncogenes that interact with many, well-established cell signaling pathways that are misregulated in cancer and is known to drive cancer metastasis when overexpressed.
Areas Covered in this Review
This review will cover basic information of the discovery and characteristics of the PRL family. We will also report findings on the role of PRL in cancer, cell functions, and cell signaling. Furthermore, PRL’s suitability as a novel drug target will be discussed along with current methods being developed to facilitate PRL inhibition.
Expert Opinion
PRLs show great potential as novel drug targets for anti-cancer therapeutics. Studies indicate that PRL can perturb major cancer pathways such as Src/ERK1/2 and PTEN/PI3K/Akt. Upregulation of PRLs has also been shown to drive cancer metastasis. However, in order to fully realize its therapeutic potential, a deeper understanding of the function of PRL in normal tissue and in cancer must be obtained. Novel and integrated biochemical, chemical biological and genetic approaches will be needed to identify PRL substrate(s) and to provide proof-of-concept data on the druggability of the PRL phosphatases.