A Drosophila CDK5alpha-like molecule and its possible role in response to O(2) deprivation.
Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 activator (Cdk5alpha) is an activator of Cdk5 kinase activity and its expression is restricted to neurons. The complex of Ckd5/Cdk5alpha is essential for neurite outgrowth during neuronal differentiation and possibly also for neuronal degeneration. Here we report the isolation and characterization of a Drosophila Cdk5alpha-like molecule (dCdk5alpha). The gene encoding this molecule is localized in the Drosophila chromosome region of 31D1-31D2. The expression of this gene is differentially regulated with a very low level at earlier developmental stages and reaches the highest level in the adult. The C-terminal of this molecule shares high homology with the mammalian Cdk5alpha molecule. Constitutive over-expression of dCdk5alpha in transgenic flies significantly prolongs their recovery time from 5 min to O(2) deprivation or anoxia in older flies (15 days) but not in young ones (4 days). In addition, anoxia up-regulated the expression of this gene. Taken together, the results in this report and others provide a framework for genetically dissecting the functions of Cdk5alpha/Cdk5 complex in the CNS.
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Department of Pediatrics (Section of Respiratory Medicine), Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520-8064, USA. enboma@biomed.med.yale.edu
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001483:Base Sequence; D051360:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017344:Genes, Insect; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C089495:neuronal Cdk5 activator (p25-p35); D051360:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5; C495904:Cdk5 protein, Drosophila; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D010100:Oxygen