Never In Mitosis Gene A Related Kinase 1 (NEK1)

Nek1 encodes a 774-amino acid dual-specific protein kinase that contains an N-terminal domain (amino acids 1 to 258) with homology to the catalytic domain of NIMA, a protein kinase that controls the initiation of mitosis in Aspergillus nidulans.The latent onset of cystogenesis and similarity of the renal pathology to human autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease made this an attractive animal model for the study of renal cystogenesis. The complex pleiotropic phenotypes seen in the homozygous mutant animals suggested that the NEK1 protein participates in different signaling pathways to regulate diverse cellular processes. The findings identified a previously unsuspected role for NEK1 in the kidney and opened a new avenue for studying cystogenesis and identifying possible modes of therapy.