MAP4K3/GLK: Structure, molecular pharmacology and drug development.

GLK (also known as MAP4K3), classified as a member of the MAP4K family, is a Ste20-like serine/threonine kinase. GLK plays a pivotal role in multiple cellular signaling pathways, including TCR-mediated immune responses, as well as the JNK, mTOR, and NF-κB signaling pathways. Due to its critical role in these key regulatory networks, GLK has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including autoimmune diseases, cancer, aging, and COVID-19 infection. Consequently, GLK represents a promising molecular target for the development of novel therapeutic interventions for immunotherapy and oncotherapy. This review comprehensively summarizes the signaling pathways and human diseases regulated by GLK, focusing on GLK protein kinase structure, GLK-specific regulators, and profiling strategies for developing GLK-specific small-molecule inhibitors.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Bioorganic chemistry (Print)

• Publication date

  2025-09-27

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Chemistry

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.bioorg.2025.109043PMID 41027235
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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