Gluconate Kinase (GNTK)

By searching for genes in a region of chromosome 9q commonly deleted in acute myeloid leukemia (), followed by PCR of CD34-positive bone marrow cells, Sweetser et al. (2005) cloned C9ORF103. The deduced 187-amino acid protein belongs to the glucokinase family.

Glucokinase (EC 2.7.1.2) is an enzyme that facilitates phosphorylation of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate. Glucokinase occurs in cells in the liver, pancreas, gut, and brain of humans and most other vertebrates. In each of these organs it plays an important role in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism by acting as a glucose sensor, triggering shifts in metabolism or cell function in response to rising or falling levels of glucose, such as occur after a meal or when fasting.