- Countries/Regions
- United States of America
- Category
- Research
- Academic Field
- Medicine
- Related goals of SDGs
| Keyword |
phosphorylation, protein kinase, inhibitor, axon growth, synaptogenesis |
Information on Niigata University
| Name of the professor/researcher |
Michihiro Igarashi |
| Position/Faculty |
Professor, Gaduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, and School of Medicine |
Information on the Counterpart
| Countries/Regions |
USA |
| Faculty/Institution |
Miami U, Miller Sch Med |
Detailed Information/Report on Activities
Protein kinases are responsible for protein phosphorylation and are involved in important signal transduction pathways; however, a considerable number of poorly characterized kinases may be involved in neuronal development. Here, we considered cyclin G-associated kinase (GAK) as a candidate regulator of neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis by examining the effects of the selective GAK inhibitor SGC-GAK-1. SGC-GAK-1 treatment of cultured neurons reduced neurite length and decreased synapse number and phosphorylation of neurofilament 200-kDa subunits relative to the control. In addition, the related kinase inhibitor erlotinib, which has distinct specificity and potency from SGC-GAK-1, had no effect on neurite growth, unlike SGC-GAK-1. These results suggest that GAK may be physiologically involved in normal neuronal development, and that decreased GAK function and the resultant impaired neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis may be related to neurodevelopmental disorders.
