Sandbox 210: Difference between revisions

Reported by four independent groups of scientists in 1992, CDK5 had multiple names. A first group reported it as a neuronal CDC2 like kinase (NCLK) characterized and cloned from rat brain c-DNA library as a CDK that phosphorylates the lysine–serine–proline motif of neurofilaments. It was reported to have 58% amino acid sequence homology with mouse CDK1 and 61% homology with human CDK2.<ref name="discovery" /> While looking for several CDKs, which play an important role in eukaryotic cell cycle, a second group found CDK5/PSSALARE kinase (with an alpha C helix) among several other CDKs.<ref>PMID: 1639063</ref> A third group of scientists called the same molecule as brain proline-directed protein kinase (BPDK), reporting it in bovine brain with functional similarity to CDC2.<ref>PMID: 1618840</ref> In the same year, the fourth group named it as Tau protein kinase II (TPK II) associated with microtubules. Later in 1993, the nomenclature settled down to CDK5 after identifying the 30 kDa protein subunit of the active enzyme.<ref name="un" />