Identification of a dual leucine zipper kinase involved in rat fracture repair.
Complete cDNA sequence was obtained for a gene found to be expressed at a high level during fracture healing in the rat. Comparison of the amino acid sequence (deduced from the cDNA sequence) with known sequences showed 99% identity with mouse Dual Leucine Zipper Kinase (mDLK) and 96% identity with human Zipper Protein Kinase (hZPK). Relative quantitation by RT-PCR indicates abundant expression of this gene in cultured chondrocytes, growth plate and brain tissue. Further, regulated expression of this gene has been observed during fracture healing in rat femur fracture model; maximum gene expression in this model appears to coincide with chondrogenesis and bone formation. Since DLK has been shown to function in the mitogen activated signaling (MAP) pathway, these results provide the first evidence for the involvement of this signaling pathway in fracture healing.
Matsui
N
N
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Sarkar
G
G
Shuto
T
T
Marrs
J
J
Bronk
J T
JT
Mizuno
K
K
Bolander
M E
ME
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D017102:Fracture Healing; D006801:Humans; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; C090757:mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 12