CDKL4

CDKL4 belongs to the CDKL branch of the CMGC kinases and, like its paralogs, combines an N-terminal catalytic domain with a long C-terminal extension. Expression is strongly biased toward the testis, with additional transcript detected in brain and other tissues, and the protein is nuclear. Because no CDK-type cyclin partner has been identified, autophosphorylation within the activation segment provides catalytic activation. Physiological substrates and signaling roles remain to be established, and CDKL4 has only been tentatively linked to cell proliferation. Recombinant CDKL4 aids comparative studies of CDKL-family substrate specificity and inhibitor selectivity.