title: Multiple cDNAs encoding the esk kinase predict transmembrane and intracellular enzyme isoforms.
abstract: A novel protein kinase, the Esk kinase, has been isolated from an embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell line by using an expression cloning strategy. Sequence analysis of two independent cDNA clones (2.97 and 2.85 kb) suggested the presence of two Esk isoforms in EC cells. The esk-1 cDNA sequence predicted an 857-amino-acid protein kinase with a putative membrane-spanning domain, while the esk-2 cDNA predicted an 831-amino-acid kinase which lacked this domain. In adult mouse cells, esk mRNA levels were highest in tissues possessing a high proliferation rate or a sizeable stem cell compartment, suggesting that the Esk kinase may play some role in the control of cell proliferation or differentiation. As anticipated from the screening procedure, bacterial expression of the Esk kinase reacted with antiphosphotyrosine antibodies on immunoblots. Furthermore, in in vitro kinase assays, the Esk kinase was shown to phosphorylate both itself and the exogenous substrate myelin basic protein on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues, confirming that the Esk kinase is a novel member of the serine/threonine/tyrosine family of protein kinases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Douville
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Afar
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Howell
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Letwin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tannock
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ben-David
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pawson
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000201:enzymology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000201:enzymology; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D010768:Phosphoserine / Q000378:metabolism; D010769:Phosphothreonine / Q000378:metabolism; D019000:Phosphotyrosine; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010750:Phosphoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D010769:Phosphothreonine; D010768:Phosphoserine; D019000:Phosphotyrosine; D014443:Tyrosine; D004247:DNA; D011494:Protein Kinases