PRKCI
Overview
PRKCI (Protein Kinase C Iota) encodes an atypical protein kinase C family member located on chromosome 3q26.2. It is a known oncogene in squamous cell carcinomas; amplification at 3q is a hallmark CNA in head and neck and lung squamous carcinomas, and PRKCI within this amplicon has been proposed as a candidate driver. PRKCI promotes cell survival, migration, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
Alterations observed in the corpus
- Located on 3q; identified as a candidate cancer driver gene within the 3q arm-level gain present in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) PMID:23619168
- Focal amplification observed in ccRCC multi-platform TCGA analysis (450 cases) PMID:23792563
Cancer types (linked)
- OCSC / HNSC (Oral/Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma): PRKCI at 3q26.2 is included among candidate oncogenic drivers in the context of frequent 3q copy gain; 3q gains together with PIK3CA activating mutations contribute to the mitogenic signaling pathway altered in 63% of OSCC tumors PMID:23619168
Co-occurrence and mutual exclusivity
- Co-occurs with PIK3CA (also on 3q) copy gain in OSCC; the 3q amplicon contains TERC, PRKCI, and PIK3CA as candidate drivers PMID:23619168
Therapeutic relevance
- No approved agent targeting PRKCI is described in the corpus; it is listed as a candidate target among the 80% of OSCC tumors with at least one targetable alteration PMID:23619168
Open questions
- Whether PRKCI is a bona fide driver within the 3q amplicon in OSCC (versus a passenger co-amplified with PIK3CA or TERC) has not been functionally resolved in this cohort.
Sources
This page was processed by crosslinker on 2026-05-09. - PMID:23792563
This page was processed by crosslinker on 2026-05-09.