MLK2: Proteins and Enzymes

MLK2 (mixed lineage kinase 2; also MST and MAP3K10) is a member of the STE Ser/Thr kinase family of enzymes. It is expressed in neurons, lymphoid tissue, and skeletal muscle, where it participates in apoptosis. Human MLK2 is 954 amino acids (aa) in length. It contains an N-terminal SH3 domain (aa 23-76), followed by a kinase domain that likely acts to phosphorylate Ser/Thr (aa 99-355), two Leu-zipper segments that mediate homodimerization (aa 384-419) and a C-terminal Ser/Thr/Pro-rich region that undergoes phosphorylation at multiple sites (aa 497-954). There is one splice variant that shows an in-frame 16 aa substitution for the 16 aa between aa 465-480.