Description
Product Characteristics:
LIMK 1 and 2 likely regulate aspects of the cytoskeleton, through control of the organization of actin filaments. They can phosphorylate an actin-binding protein, cofilin which binds to actin monomers and polymers and promotes the disassembly of actin filament.The phosphorylation of cofilin via LIMK inactivates this potential. LIMK1 is highly active in the brain and spinal chord, where it is believed to be involved in the development of nerve cells whilst LIMK2 is ubiquitously expressed in many adult tissues. LIMK1 may play an important role in areas of the brain that are responsible for processing visual-spatial information (visuospatial constructive cognition). These parts of the brain are important for visualizing an object as a set of parts and performing tasks such as writing, drawing, constructing models, and assembling puzzles. LIMK1 is specifically stimulated by Rac, one of the Rho family proteins, while LIMK2 activity is activated under the control of other Rho family members, Rho and Cdc42, suggesting that two distinct pathways exist in the Rho family driven actin cytoskeleton dynamics.
Subcellular location: Cytoplasm, Nucleus
Synonyms: LIM kinase 1+2, LIMK1+LIMK2, LIM domain kinase 1, LIM domain kinase 2, LIMK1, LIMK2,LIMK1_HUMAN, LIMK2_HUMAN.
Target Information: There are approximately 40 known eukaryotic LIM proteins, so named for the LIM domains they contain. LIM domains are highly conserved cysteine-rich structures containing 2 zinc fingers. Although zinc fingers usually function by binding to DNA or RNA, the LIM motif probably mediates protein-protein interactions. LIM kinase-1 and LIM kinase-2 belong to a small subfamily with a unique combination of 2 N-terminal LIM motifs and a C-terminal protein kinase domain. LIMK1 is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates actin polymerization via phosphorylation and inactivation of the actin binding factor cofilin. This protein is ubiquitously expressed during development and plays a role in many cellular processes associated with cytoskeletal structure. This protein also stimulates axon growth and may play a role in brain development. LIMK1 hemizygosity is implicated in the impaired visuospatial constructive cognition of Williams syndrome. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms.[provided by RefSeq, Feb 2011]