Proteins kinases are the most abundant group of enzymes which are essential

modulators required for cells to function correctly.

JNKs are vital protein kinases that are part of the MAPK family they are involved
in the maintenance of a variety of physiology processes allowing an assortment
of biological processes to be regulated, such as inflammatory responses, cell
proliferation, and differentiation and programmed cell death.

Research suggests it is progressively evident that consistent activation of JNKs

either by autophosphorylation is positively correlated to malignancy
development are involved in cancer development and progression. Therefore,
JNKs represent attractive targets for therapeutic intervention with small molecule
kinase inhibitors. However, evidence supportive of a tumor suppressor role for
the JNK proteins has also been documented. Recent studies showed that the two
major JNK proteins, JNK1 and JNK2, have distinct or even opposing functions in
different types of cancer. As such, close consideration of which JNK proteins are
beneficial targets and more importantly what effect small molecule inhibitors of
JNKs have on physiological processes are an absolute must. A number of ATP-
competitive and ATP-noncompetitive JNK inhibitors have been developed, but
have several limitations such as a lack of specificity and cellular toxicity. In this
review we summarize the accumulating evidence supporting a role for the JNK
proteins in the pathogenesis of different solid and hematological malignancies
and discuss many challenges and scientific opportunities in the targeting of JNKs
in cancer.