High impact information on Ank

• Integrin-linked kinase is localized to cell-matrix focal adhesions but not cell-cell adhesion sites and the focal adhesion localization of integrin-linked kinase is regulated by the PINCH-binding ANK repeats [1].
• Ank regulation of ATP and/or inorganic pyrophosphate release from neurons may function to modulate the membrane excitability and cell death associated with seizure activity [2].
• In the rat brain, Ank mRNA is expressed at relatively high levels in the thalamus, midbrain, and spinal cord, and the Ank protein expression pattern is similar to that observed in the human brain [2].
• Finally, we observed a significant increase in Ank immunoreactivity in the rat amygdala, the CA-2 and CA-3 layers of the hippocampus, and the cerebral cortex after the induction of seizure activity [2].
• In primary mouse neuronal cell cultures, Ank is detected on both the cell body and on cell extensions, mainly dendrites [2].

Anatomical context of Ank

• In this study, we demonstrate that Ank is expressed primarily in human brain neurons, with the highest levels of expression observed in the thalamus, the III and V cortical layers, the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, clusters of cells in the dorsal portion of the pons and midbrain, and neurons of the anterior horn of the spinal cord [2].

Associations of Ank with chemical compounds

• Ank is a 492-amino acid multipass transmembrane protein involved in the regulation of extracellular inorganic pyrophosphate levels and the control of tissue calcification [2].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Ank

• Previous Northern blot hybridization experiments revealed that Ank mRNA was expressed in the brain, but there have been no reports describing the anatomical sites or specific cell types in the brain that express Ank protein [2].

References