Protein kinase D (PKD) is an evolutionarily-conserved family of protein kinases. It has structural, regulatory, and enzymatic properties quite different from the PKC family. Many stimuli induce PKD signaling, including G-protein-coupled receptor agonists and growth factors. PKD1 is the most studied member of the family. It functions during cell proliferation, differentiation, secretion, cardiac hypertrophy, immune regulation, angiogenesis, and cancer. Previously, we found that PKD1 is also critically involved in pain modulation. Since then, a series of studies performed in our lab and by other groups have shown that PKDs also participate in other processes in the nervous system including neuronal polarity establishment, neuroprotection, and learning. Here, we discuss the connections between PKD structure, enzyme function, and localization, and summarize the recent fi ndings on the roles of PKD-mediated signaling in the nervous system. Keywords: PKD; neuronal polarity; pain modulation; neuroprotection; learning
IntroductionMembers of the protein kinase D (PKD) family are diacylglycerol (DAG) and protein kinase C (PKC) effectors.They are activated by the actions of hormones, growth factors, neurotransmitters, and other stimuli through phospholipase C (PLC) [1] . Three widely-expressed mammalian homologs are PKD1 (mouse PKD, human PKCμ) [2,3] , PKD2 [3] , and PKD3 [4] (also named PKC), but the levels of individual PKDs vary in different tissues.Recent fi ndings have revealed that PKDs participate in the regulation of Golgi function through modulating the fi ssion of vesicles from the trans-Golgi network (TGN) [5,6] . Other recent reports have shown that PKDs function during cell proliferation and apoptosis, carcinogenesis, and intracellular trafficking. Here, we describe the connections between PKD structure, enzymatic function, and localization, and then summarize recent fi ndings on the roles of PKD in the nervous system.
The PKD Family Belongs to the CaMK GroupThe PKD family comprises PKD1, PKD2, and PKD3. PKD was initially described as an atypical isoform of the PKC family [7] , which is a member of the protein kinase A, G, and C (AGC) serine/threonine kinase subfamily [8,9] . However, later studies revealed that PKD has mixed features of different subclasses of the PKC family, so it does not belong to any one of them. For example, its pleckstrin-homology (PH) domain is closely related to the PKB and G-proteincoupled receptor kinase (GRK) families and is not found in any PKC enzyme, while the cysteine-rich domains are more reminiscent of classical and novel PKCs. The structure and function of the catalytic domain of PKD are quite different from those of the AGC/PKC family members [2][3][4]10] . Indeed, PKD has now been classified as a new family within the (Fig. 1). The elaborate constitution of PKD1 is intricately linked to its catalytic functions, regulation, and intracellular localization (Table 1). PKD1 can be activated through different pathways.First, some stimuli activate PLC, which induces PKD phosp...