KASH domains are conserved C-terminal

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

regions less than ~30

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha am ...

s. KASH is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

for Klarsicht, ANC-1, Syne Homology. KASH domains always follow a transmembrane domain. Most proteins containing KASH domains are thought to be involved in the positioning of the nucleus in the cell. KASH domains interact with proteins containing

SUN domain SUN (Sad1p, UNC-84) domains are conserved C-terminal protein regions a few hundred amino acids long. SUN domains are usually found following a transmembrane domain and a less conserved region of amino acids. Most proteins containing SUN domains ...

s in the space between the outer and inner nuclear membranes to bridge the

nuclear envelope The nuclear envelope, also known as the nuclear membrane, is made up of two lipid bilayer membranes that in eukaryotic cells surround the nucleus, which encloses the genetic material. The nuclear envelope consists of two lipid bilayer membrane ...

, and may transfer force from the nucleoskeleton to the cytoplasmic

cytoskeleton The cytoskeleton is a complex, dynamic network of interlinking protein filaments present in the cytoplasm of all cells, including those of bacteria and archaea. In eukaryotes, it extends from the cell nucleus to the cell membrane and is compos ...

and enable mechanosensory roles in cells. KASH proteins are thought to largely localize to the outer nuclear membrane, although there are reports of inner nuclear membrane localization of some KASH protein isoforms.

Examples of KASH proteins

Caenorhabditis elegans ''Caenorhabditis elegans'' () is a free-living transparent nematode about 1 mm in length that lives in temperate soil environments. It is the type species of its genus. The name is a blend of the Greek ''caeno-'' (recent), ''rhabditis'' (ro ...

'' *UNC-83 *ANC-1 *ZYG-12 Mammals *Nesprins-1, 2, 3 and 4 (also called Synes, Mynes, Nuance, Enaptin) ''

Drosophila melanogaster ''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly" or "pomace fly". Starting with Ch ...

'' *Klarsicht *MSP-300

References

External links

* {{PROSITE, PDOC51049 - KASH domain in

PROSITE PROSITE is a protein database. It consists of entries describing the protein families, domains and functional sites as well as amino acid patterns and profiles in them. These are manually curated by a team of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformati ...

Protein domains