title: Cloning and characterization of a human STE20-like protein kinase with unusual cofactor requirements.
abstract: We cloned and characterized a novel human member of the STE20 serine/threonine protein kinase family named mst-3. Based on its domain structure, mst-3 belongs to the SPS1 subgroup of STE20-like proteins, which includes germinal center (GC) kinase, hematopoietic progenitor kinase (HPK), kinase homologous to STE20/SPS-1 (KHS), kinases responsive to stress (KRS1/2), the mammalian STE20-like kinases (mst1/2), and the recently published STE20/oxidant stress response kinase SOK-1. mst-3 is most closely related to SOK-1, with 88% amino acid similarity in the kinase domain. The similarity of the mst-3 kinase domain to STE20 is 42%. The mst-3 transcript is ubiquitously expressed, and the protein was found in all human, mouse, and monkey cell lines tested. An in vitro kinase assay showed that mst-3 can phosphorylate basic exogenous substrates as well as itself. Interestingly, mst-3 prefers Mn2+ to Mg2+ as a divalent cation and can use both GTP and ATP as phosphate donors. Like SOK-1, mst-3 is activated by autophosphorylation. However, a physiological stimulus of mst-3 activity was not identified. mst-3 activity does not change upon exposure to several mitogenic and stress stimuli. Overexpression of mst-3 wild-type or kinase dead protein affects neither the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2 or ERK6), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, nor pp70S6 kinase, suggesting that mst-3 is part of a novel signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schinkmann
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blenis
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003067:Coenzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; D008274:Magnesium / Q000378:metabolism; D008345:Manganese / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D000099317:Hippo Kinases
chemical_list: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D003067:Coenzymes; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; D008274:Magnesium; D008345:Manganese; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C109163:STK24 protein, human; D000099317:Hippo Kinases; C078754:STE20 protein, S cerevisiae