Kinase Family RCK
Kinase Classification: Group CMGC: Family RCK
RCK kinase
This is an ancient but poorly understood family of kinases, with two subfamilies, MOK and MAK. They are related to CDK and MAPK kinases within the CMGC group.
Evolution
Both subfamilies are found throughout eukaryotes, though MOK is lost in several lineages that have also lost cilia.
Domain Structure
All RCK kinases have an N-terminal kinase domain and a variable length (~100-300 AA) C-terminal tail without any known domains. Almost all RCK kinases have a T[DE]Y motif in their activation loop, similar to MAPK, and require both the T and Y to be phosphorylated for complete function.
Function
MAK and MOK subfamilies are implicated in cilia biology, with MAK also being involved in meiosis.
Naming
The family is named RCK after the mouse gene rck, the ortholog of human MAK. It was defined in the 2002 human kinome paper [1], along with the MAK and MOK subfamilies.
