The immunodulatory effects of the cAMP effector Epac

Abstract

Cyclic AMP is an extremely important second messenger and is known to be a central mediator of inflammation and regulator of the immune response. For many years it was thought that the effects of cAMP on immunity were principally mediated via protein kinase A (PKA), but recently a novel target of cAMP, exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac), has been identified. Relatively little is known about the effects of Epac on the immune system and therefore it is important to establish what role Epac plays in cAMP mediated immunological effects.