PRKCB (protein kinase C beta) is a serine/threonine kinase with diverse roles in cellular signaling and disease pathogenesis. Primary function: PRKCB acts as an activator of ferroptosis by phosphorylating and activating ACSL4, and propagates ferroptosis by phosphorylating FOXK1 to promote LGALS13 secretion 12. PRKCB also functions in transcriptional regulation and calcium/diacylglycerol-dependent signaling pathways. Mechanism: PRKCB mediates intracellular signal transduction through protein kinase C signaling and positively regulates NF-κB and VEGF receptor pathways. In infection contexts, PRKCB interacts with vacuolar-H+-ATPase subunit G and VPS16, blocking phagolysosomal fusion and promoting intracellular pathogen survival 3. Disease relevance: PRKCB variants are associated with susceptibility to Mycobacterium avium complex disease, with the rs194800 C allele augmenting PRKCB expression and disease severity 3. Activating mutations in PRKCB are enriched in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma 4. PRKCB also appears implicated in periodontitis-osteoporosis crosstalk through pyroptosis and MAPK signaling 5, and shows altered expression in Alzheimer's disease 6. Clinical significance: PRKCB inhibitors show therapeutic potential against mycobacterial infections 3, and PRKCB serves as a radioresponse biomarker in cervical cancer 7.