Unc-51 Like Kinase 3 (ULK3)

The deduced 472-amino acid protein has a calculated molecular mass of 53 kD. ULK3 has an N-terminal 270-amino acid kinase domain followed by a microtubule-interacting domain. The kinase domain of ULK3 shares 38% identity with that of STK36 and 37% identity with that of Drosophila Fu, a kinase involved in hedgehog signaling.Quantitative RT-PCR detected ULK3 expression in all tissues analyzed, with highest expression in fetal brain. In adult tissues, expression was highest in brain, liver, and kidney, with moderate expression in testis and adrenal gland, and low expression in heart, lung, stomach, thymus, prostate, and placenta. Within adult human brain regions, highest ULK3 expression was detected in hippocampus.