Disease relevance of Aatk

• Expression of AATYK was also up-regulated as a function of RA-induced neuronal differentiation of p19 embryonal carcinoma cells, supporting a role for this protein in mature neurons and neuronal differentiation [1].

High impact information on Aatk

• Overexpression of wild-type AATYK, but not its kinase-deficient mutant, stimulates apoptosis in LK [2].
• In this study, we analyzed the relationship between the phosphorylation states of AATYK and the survival of granule cells [2].
• However, LK-induced hyperphosphorylation of AATYK at multiple sites was blocked by kainate, lithium, and protein kinase C-delta inhibitor [2].
• AATYK possessed tyrosine kinase activity and was autophosphorylated when expressed in 293 cells [3].
• We have isolated a novel, alternatively spliced AATYK mRNA using cDNA library screening and RT-PCR, whose expression is readily detected in the brain but not myeloid cells [1].

Biological context of Aatk

• However, AATYK expression is induced in 32D cells transformed by the v-abl gene when these cells are incubated in the presence of DMSO, which induces growth arrest and apoptotic death of the cells [4].
• On the other hand, DMSO fails to induce apoptosis or AATYK expression in 32D cells transformed by the bcr-abl oncogene, suggesting that AATYK expression may be a necessary pre-requisite for the induction of growth arrest and/or apoptosis of myeloid precursor cells [4].

Anatomical context of Aatk

• AATYK: a novel tyrosine kinase induced during growth arrest and apoptosis of myeloid cells [4].
• Because high levels of AATYK mRNA have also been detected in the brain, and because these transcripts differ in size from that observed in the 32Dcl3 cell line, it was of interest to determine whether this gene encodes mRNAs that are alternatively spliced and whether these mRNAs are expressed in a tissue-specific manner [1].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Aatk

• In situ hybridization confirmed the widespread expression of AATYK mRNA in neurons throughout the adult brain [3].

References