Serine/Threonine/Tyrosine Kinase 1 (STYK1)

Receptor protein tyrosine kinases, like STYK1, play important roles in diverse cellular and developmental processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival . By searching for possible FGF receptor -like molecules, followed by RT-PCR of human amygdala tumor cell RNA, Liu et al. (2004) cloned full-length STYK1, which they designated NOK. The deduced 422-amino acid protein contains an N-terminal transmembrane domain and a C-terminal 270-amino acid kinase catalytic domain; it lacks an extracellular domain. There are 10 tyrosine, 15 serine, and 10 threonine residues that may be phosphorylated. Northern blot analysis detected a transcript of about 3 kb highly expressed in prostate and more weakly expressed in colon, placenta, brain, and skeletal muscle.