?

Catalytic domain of the Serine/Threonine Kinase, Myosin Light Chain Kinase STKs catalyze the transfer of the gamma-phosphoryl group from ATP to serine/threonine residues on protein substrates. MLCK phosphorylates myosin regulatory light chain and controls the contraction of all muscle types. In vertebrates, different MLCKs function in smooth (MLCK1), skeletal (MLCK2), and cardiac (MLCK3) muscles. A fourth protein, MLCK4, has also been identified through comprehensive genome analysis although it has not been biochemically characterized. The MLCK1 gene expresses three transcripts in a cell-specific manner: a short MLCK1 which contains three immunoglobulin (Ig)-like and one fibronectin type III (FN3) domains, PEVK and actin-binding regions, and a kinase domain near the C-terminus; a long MLCK1 containing six additional Ig-like domains at the N-terminus compared to the short MLCK1; and the C-terminal Ig module. MLCK2, MLCK3, and MLCK4 share a simpler domain architecture of a single kinase domain near the C-terminus and the absence of Ig-like or FN3 domains. The MLCK subfamily is part of a larger superfamily that includes the catalytic domains of other protein STKs, protein tyrosine kinases, RIO kinases, aminoglycoside phosphotransferase, choline kinase, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase.
|