Glycerol Kinase (GK)

Glycerol kinase (EC 2.7.1.30) catalyzes the phosphorylation of glycerol by ATP, yielding ADP and glycerol-3-phosphate. Analysis of DNA from somatic cell hybrids carrying deleted X chromosomes showed that this clone detected homologous sequences between Xp22.1-p21.2, the interval containing the locus responsible for glycerol kinase deficiency.

Northern blot analysis showed 3 GK mRNA transcript sizes of 1.85, 2.7, and 3.7 kb. Expression of the GK gene was found in several human tissues, including skeletal muscle, kidney, and brain, with the highest expression in liver.GK1 locus on Xp21.3 is more than 50 kb long and comprises at least 19 exons. In contrast, the remaining members of the glycerol kinase gene family, located on chromosomes 1, 4, and Xq, appear to be intronless.