Abstract
Protein phosphatase 5 (PP5) is a unique member of the PPP family of serine/threonine phosphatases based on the presence of tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domains within its structure. Since its discovery, PP5 has been implicated in wide ranging cellular processes, including MAPK-mediated growth and differentiation, cell cycle arrest and DNA damage repair via the p53 and ATM/ATR pathways, regulation of ion channels via the membrane receptor for atrial natriuretic peptide, the cellular heat shock response as mediated by heat shock transcription factor, and steroid receptor signaling, especially glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Given this diversity of effects, the recent development of viable PP5-deficient mice was surprising and suggests that PP5 is a modulatory, rather than essential, factor in phosphorylation pathways. Here, we review the signaling involvement of PP5 in light of new findings and relate these activities to the structural features of the protein.