Cdc25 as a Potential Target of Anticancer Agents

Ever since its discovery in yeast more than a decade ago [1], Cdc25has continued to surprise and intrigue researchers. Thisdual-specificity protein tyrosine phosphatase (dsPTPase) and other members of the protein tyrosine phosphatase family (PTPases) have only recently joined the protease and kinase enzyme families in drugdiscovery efforts. The role of phosphatases in tumourigenesis wasreviewed recently by Parsons [2]. He is arguing that the phosphatasefamily of enzymes is involved in a variety of cancers and thus poses both a challenge and an opportunity for new therapeutics. The general biology and biochemistry of Cdc25 were recently reviewed [3].