SMEK Homolog 2, Suppressor Of Mek1 (SMEK2)

Database analysis identified 2 human homologs, SMEK1 and SMEK2. SMEK1 and SMEK2 contain several regions conserved in Dictyostelium, including a putative N-terminal Enabled/VASP homology-1 (EVH1) domain, a central domain of unknown function, and a C-terminal stretch of acidic residues followed by basic residues.

smkA protein localized to the cell cortex during vegetative growth via its EVH1 domain and that it translocated to the nucleus at the onset of development or starvation via a C-terminal nuclear localization signal. Nuclear localization of smkA protein was necessary for suppression of mek1-null phenotypes, which exhibit severe defects in cell polarization and directional movement.