PNKD is the abbreviation for a human neurological movement disorder paroxysmal nonkinesiogenic dyskinesia. Like many other human genetics disorders, PNKD also refers to the disease, the disease gene and the encoded protein. (PNKD) is a

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 ...

that in humans is encoded by the ''PNKD''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

Alternative splicing Alternative splicing, or alternative RNA splicing, or differential splicing, is an alternative splicing process during gene expression that allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins. In this process, particular exons of a gene may be ...

results in the transcription of three

isoforms A protein isoform, or "protein variant", is a member of a set of highly similar proteins that originate from a single gene or gene family and are the result of genetic differences. While many perform the same or similar biological roles, some isof ...

. The mouse

ortholog Sequence homology is the biological homology between DNA, RNA, or protein sequences, defined in terms of shared ancestry in the evolutionary history of life. Two segments of DNA can have shared ancestry because of three phenomena: either a spec ...

is called brain protein 17 (Brp17).

Structure

This gene is located on chromosome 2 at the band 2q35 and contains 12

exon An exon is any part of a gene that will form a part of the final mature RNA produced by that gene after introns have been removed by RNA splicing. The term ''exon'' refers to both the DNA sequence within a gene and to the corresponding sequen ...

s. At least three isoforms of varying lengths (long, medium, and short) can be produced by alternative splicing of this gene. While the gene products of the long (PNKD-L) and medium (PNKD-M) isoforms contain the

C-terminal The C-terminus (also known as the carboxyl-terminus, carboxy-terminus, C-terminal tail, C-terminal end, or COOH-terminus) is the end of an amino acid chain (protein or polypeptide), terminated by a free carboxyl group (-COOH). When the protein is ...

β-lactamase domain, the short (PNKD-S) isoform, commonly referred to as myofibrillogenesis regulator-1 (MR-1), contains only three exons and lacks homology to any known protein. These isoforms also differ in their tissue-specific expression and

subcellular localization The cells of eukaryotic organisms are elaborately subdivided into functionally-distinct membrane-bound compartments. Some major constituents of eukaryotic cells are: extracellular space, plasma membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, mitochondria, Golgi ap ...

. Specifically, PNKD-L is only expressed in the

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all par ...

whereas PNKD-M and PNKD-S are ubiquitously expressed across tissues. Moreover, PNKD-L localizes to the

cell membrane The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane (PM) or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment ( ...

, PNKD-S to the

cytoplasm In cell biology, the cytoplasm is all of the material within a eukaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, except for the cell nucleus. The material inside the nucleus and contained within the nuclear membrane is termed the nucleoplasm. The ...

and

nucleus Nucleus ( : nuclei) is a Latin word for the seed inside a fruit. It most often refers to: *Atomic nucleus, the very dense central region of an atom *Cell nucleus, a central organelle of a eukaryotic cell, containing most of the cell's DNA Nucle ...

, and PNKD-M to the

mitochondrion A mitochondrion (; ) is an organelle found in the cells of most Eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used ...

Function

The function of PNKD proteins are unknown but the long and medium isoforms of PNKD contain a conserved β-lactamase domain which suggest it may function as an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

. The closest mammalian homolog to PNKD is HAGH, an enzyme involves in a two-step reaction to hydrolyze SLG and produce D-lactic acid and reduced GSH. However, the hydrolytic activity of PNKD is minimal. The long form of PNKD is neuronal specific and encodes a synaptic protein that localizes dominantly to the pre-synaptic membrane. Post-synaptic area and vesicular structure also occasionally has PNKD long form. PNKD long form interacts with pre-synaptic protein RIM and inhibits synaptic exocytosis. PNKD with disease mutations is less effective in inhibition thus the synaptic release is increased. This would cause excessive neurotransmitter release in the brain and maybe the root cause for triggering epilepsy in PNKD patients.

Clinical significance

Point mutations in PNKD exon 1 cause an inherited neurological movement disorder in humans called paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia. Overexpression of PNKD has also been associated with multiple cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma,

gastric cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

, and

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

and may serve as a therapeutic target for treating these cancers or a

biomarker In biomedical contexts, a biomarker, or biological marker, is a measurable indicator of some biological state or condition. Biomarkers are often measured and evaluated using blood, urine, or soft tissues to examine normal biological processes, ...

for assessing patient outcomes. The signaling pathways involved may vary depending on the cancer. For instance, in human breast cancer (MCF7) cells, PNKD may promote tumor cell proliferation by activating the MEK/ERK signaling pathway, while in human hepatoma (HepG2) cells, PNKD may operate through the MLC2/FAK/AKT pathway.

Interactions

PNKD has been shown to

interact Advocates for Informed Choice, dba interACT or interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization using innovative strategies to advocate for the legal and human rights of children with intersex traits. The organizati ...

with: * Rab3-interacting molecule (RIM)1 * RIM2

References

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