The 99th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Pharmacological Society

Chair:Norio Sakai(Grad Sch of Biomed Sci, Hiroshima Univ.), Takehiko Ueyama(Biosignal Research Center, Kobe University)

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a serine/threonine kinase first identified in 1977 by Dr. Yasumi Nishizuka, then a professor at Kobe University. More than ten distinct molecular isoforms are expressed across various tissues, and their roles in a wide range of physiological processes have been extensively characterized. Although PKC was historically regarded as a prototypical oncogenic factor, subsequent paradigm shifts have redefined it as a potential tumor suppressor. In the nervous system, PKC modulates long-term potentiation and depression, thereby contributing to synaptic plasticity. Moreover, its potential involvement in neurodegenerative disorders, including spinocerebellar degeneration and Alzheimer disease, has been proposed. This symposium seeks to present the historical development and current advances in PKC research, with particular emphasis on its regulatory mechanisms and physiological functions elucidated through imaging-based approaches, and to explore prospective therapeutic applications.