Human EMK1 is located on 11q12-q13, close to COX8 and FTH1

Role of MARK2 in the nervous system and cancer

Microtubule-Affinity Regulating Kinase 2 (MARK2), a member of the serine/threonine protein kinase family, phosphorylates microtubule-associated proteins, playing a crucial role in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. This kinase regulates multiple signaling pathways, including the WNT, PI3K/AKT/mTOR (PAM), and NF-κB pathways, potentially linking it to cancer and the nervous system. As a crucial regulator of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, the loss of MARK2 inhibits the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. MARK2 is involved in the excessive phosphorylation of tau, thus influencing neurodegeneration. Therefore, MARK2 emerges as a promising drug target for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Despite its significance, the development of inhibitors for MARK2 remains limited. In this review, we aim to present detailed information on the structural features of MARK2 and its role in various signaling pathways associated with cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, we further characterize the therapeutic potential of MARK2 in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, and hope to facilitate basic research on MARK2 and the development of inhibitors targeting MARK2.

Expressed sequence tag (EST) phenotyping of HT-29 cells: cloning of ser/thr protein kinase EMK1, kinesin KIF3B, and of transcripts that include Alu repeated elements

To study the mechanisms that control epithelial commitment and differentiation we have used undifferentiated HT-29 colon cancer cells and a subpopulation of mucus secreting cells obtained by selection of HT-29 cells in 10-6 M methotrexate (M6 cells) as experimental models. We isolated cDNAs encoding transcripts overexpressed in early confluent M6 cells regarding steady-state levels in HT-29 cells by subtractive hybridisation. Fifty-one cDNA clones, corresponding to 34 independent transcripts, were isolated, partially sequenced by their 5' end, and classified into four groups according to their identity: transcripts that included a repeated sequence of the Alu family (10 clones, among them those encoding ribonucleoprotein RNP-L and E-cadherin), transcripts encoded by the mitochondrial genome (nine clones), transcripts encoding components of the protein synthesis machinery (23 clones, including the human ribosomal protein L38 not previously cloned in humans) and nine additional cDNAs that could not be classified in the previous groups. These last included ferritin, cytokeratin 18, translationally controlled human tumour protein (TCHTP), mt-aldehyde dehydrogenase, as well as unknown transcripts (three clones), and the human homologues of the molecular motor kinesin KIF3B and of the ser/thr protein kinase EMK1. Spot dot and Northern blot analyses showed that ser/thr protein kinase EMK1 was differentially expressed in M6 cells when compared with parental HT-29 cells. Steady-state levels of EMK1 were higher in proliferating, preconfluent, M6 and HT-29 cells than in 2 days post confluence (dpc) and 8dpc M6 and HT-29 cells. Transcripts that included an Alu repeat were also shown to be differentially expressed and accumulated in differentiating M6 cells when analysed by Northern blot. The significance of the transcripts cloned is discussed in the context of the commitment and differentiation of the M6 cells to the mucus secreting lineage of epithelial cells.