Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3β: A True Foe in Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β) is a serine/threonine protein kinase involved in multiple normal and pathological cell functions, including cell signalling and metabolism. GSK-3β is highly expressed in the onset and progression of multiple cancers with strong involvement in the regulation of proliferation, apoptosis, and chemoresistance. Multiple studies showed pro- and anti-cancer roles of GSK-3β creating confusion about the benefit of targeting GSK-3β for treating cancer. In this mini-review, we focus on the role of GSK-3β in pancreatic cancer. We demonstrate that the proposed anti-cancer roles of GSK-3β are not relevant to pancreatic cancer, and we argue why GSK-3β is, indeed, a very promising therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer.