Isolation of Candidate Nek2-Interating Protein Genes(NIPs)

Nek2 is a mammalian protein kinase that is structurally homologous to NIMA, a mitotic regulator in Aspergillus nidulans. We recently observed that the Nek2 protein was localized in multiple sites within a cell in a cell cycle state-specific manner. This suggests that Ndk2 is involved in diverse cellular functions during the cell cycle progression. To have a better understanding on cellular functions in which Nek2 participates, we carried out yeast two-hybrid screening and isolated six candidate clones whose products interact with Nek2. Most of Nek2-interacting proteins (NIPs) appear cytoplasmic, suggesting that Nek2 is involved in cellular functions in cytoplasm. Further experiments are under progress to confirm their interactions with Nek2 and to understand their biological significance.