CDK8 as a novel target in lymphoid leukemia

The proposed project aims at studying the molecule CDK8 (cyclin-dependent kinase 8) which interferes with the development of hematopoietic cancer at more than one level. CDK8 is not only important for the blood cancer cells themselves but it also regulates immune functions. In blood cancer cells CDK8 contributes to the survival and proliferation of the cells; in the immune system CDK8 enables the so-called Natural Killer cells (NK-cells) to recognize and lyse blood cancer cells. We now want to understand how exactly CDK8 exerts these important functions in blood cancer and NK-cells to learn potential new mechanisms how to interfere with blood cancer and in a long run improve patients therapy. It is of particular interest that CDK8 does these using a novel way which has not yet been defined and is not responsive to the available CDK8 blockers. To describe this novel mechanism and to find alternative means to interfere with CDK8 is the great challenge of the proposed project.