CDK8

CDK8 anchors the kinase module of the Mediator complex with cyclin C, MED12 and MED13, coupling transcriptional initiation to RNA polymerase II CTD phosphorylation. It modulates signal-dependent transcription by phosphorylating STAT1 at Ser727, the p53 transactivation domain, and Smad and Notch effectors, acting as both coactivator and repressor. CDK8 is amplified in colorectal cancer and overexpressed in melanoma and AML, and selective CDK8/CDK19 inhibitors are in clinical trials for these indications. Structurally, CDK8's extended activation segment and MED12 interface make it a specialized transcriptional CDK, functionally distant from the cyclin-driven cell-cycle kinases CDK1-CDK6.