Suppressor Of IKK Epsilon (SIKe)

SIKE interacts with IKK-epsilon (IKBKE) and TBK1 and acts as a suppressor of TLR3 and virus-triggered interferon activation pathways.The deduced 207-amino acid protein contains 2 coiled-coil motifs. Northern blot analysis detected ubiquitous expression of a 5.5-kb transcript with strong expression in brain, heart, kidney, and placenta, moderate expression in liver and small intestine, and weak expression in skeletal muscle, colon, thymus, spleen, lung, and leukocytes. Western blot analysis detected a 26-kD protein in a variety of cell lines including BJAB, HeLa, and 293 cells. Immunofluorescence studies localized SIKE to the cytoplasm.