Structure, function and evolution of haspin and haspin-related proteins, a distinctive group of eukaryotic protein kinases.
The haspins constitute a newly defined protein family containing a distinctive C-terminal eukaryotic protein kinase domain and divergent N termini. Haspin homologues are found in animals, plants and fungi, suggesting an origin early in eukaryotic evolution. Most species have a single haspin homologue. However, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two such genes, while Caenorhabditis elegans has at least three haspin homologues and approximately 16 haspin-related genes. Mammalian haspin genes have features of retrogenes and are strongly expressed in male germ cells and at lower levels in some somatic tissues. They encode nuclear proteins with serine/threonine kinase activity. Murine haspin is reported to inhibit cell cycle progression in cell lines. One of the S. cerevisiae homologues, ALK1, is a member of the CLB2 gene cluster that peaks in expression at M phase and thus may function in mitosis. Therefore, the haspins are an intriguing group of kinases likely to have important roles during or following both meiosis and mitosis.
Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Smith Building, Room 538D, One Jimmy Fund Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. jhiggins@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
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Higgins
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D016350:Leucine Zippers; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
C530657:Haspin protein, mouse; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases