PASK

PASK, PAS domain-containing kinase, is an AMPK-related kinase whose amino-terminal PAS modules belong to a family of sensing domains that in other proteins bind oxygen, heme, and small metabolites, suggesting nutrient-sensing capacity. PASK is expressed in pancreatic beta cells, where mouse studies support roles in beta-cell proliferation and insulin secretion, and its fungal orthologs Psk1 and Psk2 regulate sugar metabolism and translation. In mammals PASK has been implicated in cellular responses to nutrient and oxygen availability, including reported modulation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling through phosphorylation of the scaffold Raptor. These findings position PASK as a candidate integrator of environmental cues with metabolic and growth control.