The MAK-V protein kinase regulates endocytosis in mouse.

We report the cloning of a mouse cDNA encoding the MAK-V protein kinase, with a putative specificity for serine/threonine residues. The mak-v gene is transcribed in adult brain and in the mouse embryo from at least 7.5 dpc. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we showed that MAK-V interacts with Rabaptin-5, a protein which plays an important role in endocytosis. Functional studies of the MAK-V protein suggest that it regulates endocytosis. We also constructed a human mak-v cDNA and localized the human mak-v gene at 21q22.11. Its chromosomal location suggests that mak-v could be involved in disorders of the nervous system, development or in malignancies.