Disease relevance of PNCK

• In an analogous manner, expression of the human homologue of Pnck is restricted to a subset of human breast cancer cell lines [1].

Psychiatry related information on PNCK

• The gene for Pnck localizes to mouse chromosome X, in a region of conserved synteny with human chromosome Xq28 that is associated with multiple distinct mental retardation syndromes [2].

High impact information on PNCK

• While screening for protein kinases expressed in the murine mammary gland, we identified previously a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase, Pnck, that is most closely related to CaMKI [1].
• Consistent with this finding, Pnck is up-regulated in confluent mammary epithelial cells and is down-regulated as serum-starved cells are stimulated to reenter the cell cycle [1].
• In this report, we show that Pnck is temporally regulated during murine mammary development with highest levels of expression observed late in pregnancy, concomitant with the decreased cellular proliferation and terminal differentiation of the mammary epithelium [1].
• In the course of a degenerate RT-PCR protein kinase screen, we identified a novel serine/threonine kinase, Pnck [2].
• In this report, we describe the cloning, chromosomal localization, and expression of Pnck, which encodes a 38-kDa protein kinase whose catalytic domain shares 45-70% identity with members of the CaM kinase family [2].

Biological context of PNCK

• Pnck is upregulated during intermediate and late stages of murine fetal development with highest levels of expression in developing brain, bone, and gut [2].

Anatomical context of PNCK

• Together, our data suggest that Pnck may play a role in mammary development, and that expression of this kinase may be restricted to a mammary epithelial cell type that is transformed in a subset of human breast cancers [1].
• Pnck is also expressed in a tissue-specific manner in adult mice with highest levels of expression detected in brain, uterus, ovary, and testis [2].
• The chromosomal localization of Pnck, along with its tissue-specific and restricted pattern of spatial expression during development, suggests that Pnck may be involved in a variety of developmental processes including development of the central nervous system [2].

References