Official Full Name
Abl Kinase
Background
Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 also known as ABL1 is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the ABL1 gene (previous symbol ABL) located on chromosome 9. c-Abl is sometimes used to refer to the version of the gene found within the mammalian genome, while v-Abl refers to the viral gene.
Synonyms
ABL1; JTK7; c-ABL; p150; Abl Kinase; ABL; bcr/abl; c-ABL1; v-abl
Introductions
Abl kinase is an important tyrosine kinase that is widely involved in the regulation of cell signaling and cellular processes. Abl kinase was originally identified in human leukemia and proved to be a very oncogenic protein. Later studies showed that Abl kinase not only plays an important role in malignant tumors, but also is widely involved in normal cell physiological processes such as cell adhesion, cell cycle, and apoptosis. there are two forms of Abl kinase: c-Abl and Abl-related gene (Arg) kinase.
Structures
The structure of Abl kinase consists of the N-terminal SH3 region, the SH2 region and the C-terminal kinase region. The SH3 and SH2 regions can regulate Abl kinase activity by interacting with the peptidyl acylation site. The kinase region consists of three major functional units: the N-terminus, the central region and the C-terminus. The kinase region contains an ATP-binding pocket, and key sites such as Tyr245, Tyr412, and Tyr527.
ABL1 Gene
The ABL1 proto-oncogene encodes a cytoplasmic and nuclear protein tyrosine kinase that is implicated in stress response processes such as cell differentiation, cell division, cell adhesion and DNA repair. the activity of ABL1 protein is negatively regulated by its SH3 structural domain. The DNA binding activity of the commonly expressed ABL1 tyrosine kinase is regulated by CDC2-mediated phosphorylation, suggesting a cell cycle function for ABL1. the ABL1 gene is expressed as a 6- or 7-kb mRNA transcript with alternate splicing of the first exon into common exons 2-11
Function
The role of Abl kinase in cell signaling is diverse. It regulates cell growth, differentiation, adhesion, migration and other processes by phosphorylating target proteins. In addition, Abl kinase regulates signal transduction pathways by interacting with other proteins. For example, it can bind to CRKL and promote actin rearrangement, thereby affecting cell adhesion and migration.
Applications
Abl kinases have become important targets for the treatment and drug development of many diseases. For example, the use of Abl kinase inhibitors (e.g., imatinib) has been used with some success in the treatment of leukemia. Also, Abl kinase can serve as a reliable marker in cell signaling networks, which makes it one of the ideal targets for screening of novel anti-cancer drugs.
Clinical significance
Abnormal activity of Abl kinase is closely associated with the development and progression of many diseases. For example, certain immunodeficiency diseases and human leukemia have been associated with abnormal Abl kinase activity. In addition, Abl kinases have shown an important role in neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases and ischemia/reperfusion injury. Mutations in the ABL1 gene are associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). In CML, this gene is activated by translocation within the BCR (breakpoint cluster region) gene on chromosome 22. This new fusion gene, BCR-ABL, encodes an unregulated, cytoplasmic-targeted tyrosine kinase that allows cells to proliferate unregulated by cytokines. This, in turn, turns the cells into cancer.
Conclusions
In conclusion, Abl kinase is a tyrosine kinase that is closely related to cell signaling and cellular processes. It has important applications in malignancy treatment and drug development, and has become a key target in the development and progression of many diseases. Future research needs to explore the structure and function of Abl kinase in depth to provide a more precise and effective approach for disease diagnosis and treatment.