High impact information on Nlk

• A 4.0-kb Nlk message is also present during embryogenesis, detectable at day E10 [1].
• The Nlk amino acid sequence is 54 [1].
• We show here that the Nlk deficiency syndrome includes aberrant differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells [2].
• Nemo-like kinase, Nlk, is a serine-threonine kinase that connects MAP kinase and Wnt signaling pathways; its in vivo function in mouse is unknown [2].
• Whereas C57BL/6 mice lacking Nlk die during the third trimester of pregnancy, the 129/Sv background supports survival into adolescence; such mice are growth retarded and suffer from various neurological abnormalities [2].

Biological context of Nlk

• We have generated mice with a targeted disruption of Nlk and find that the complex phenotype significantly varies with the genetic background [2].
• We have found that invertebrate (Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster) and mammalian genomes (Mus musculus and Homo sapiens) each contain only a single functional Nlk gene [3].
• The mouse genome also harbours a transcriptionally silent processed Nlk pseudogene residing on chromosome 2 [3].

Anatomical context of Nlk

• Nlk deficient mice thus provide a novel model to study the genetic requirements for bone marrow stromal differentiation [2].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Nlk

• Immunofluorescence microscopy confirms that Nlk resides predominantly in the nucleus [1].

References