Cdk5 is a member of the cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) family, which is activated by neuronal activators p35 or p39. Cdk5 regulates a variety of neuronal activities including migration, synaptic activity and neuronal death. p35 and p39 impart cytoplasmic membrane association of p35-Cdk5 and p39-Cdk5, respectively, through their myristoylation, but it is not clearly understood how the cellular lo...

Accumulating evidence indicates that deregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) activity is associated with apoptosis in various neurodegenerative disease models. Interestingly, recent studies suggest that Cdk5 may also favor neuronal survival. Nonetheless, whether Cdk5 is directly required for neuronal survival during development remains enigmatic. In the current study, we established th...

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 is a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase and its activity participates in the regulation of nociceptive signaling. Like binding with the activators (P35 or P25), the phosphorylation of Cdk5 plays a critical role in Cdk5 activation. However, it is still unclear whether Cdk5 phosphorylation (p-Cdk5) contributes to pain hyperalgesia. The aim of our current study was ...

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) null mice exhibit a unique phenotype characterized by perinatal mortality, disrupted cerebral cortical layering attributable to abnormal neuronal migration, lack of cerebellar foliation, and chromatolytic changes of neurons in the brainstem and the spinal cord. Because Cdk5 is expressed in both neurons and astrocytes, it has been unclear whether this phenotype i...

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (cdk5) is found in an active form only in neuronal cells. Activation by virtue of association with the cyclin-like neuronal proteins p35 (or its truncated form p25) and p39 is the only mechanism currently shown to regulate cdk5 catalytic activity. In addition to cyclin binding, other members of the cdk family require for maximal activation phosphorylation of a Ser/Thr ...

The atypical cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) serves an array of different functions in cell biology. Among these are axonal guidance, regulation of intercellular contacts, cell differentiation, and prosurvival signaling. The variance of these functions suggests that Cdk5 activation comes to pass in different cellular compartments. The kinase activity, half-life, and substrate specificity of Cd...

Recent evidence suggests that abnormal activation of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (cdk5) is a critical prodeath signal in stroke. However, the mechanism(s) by which cdk5 promotes death is unclear. Complicating the role of cdk5 are the observations that cdk5 can exist in multiple cellular regions and possess both prosurvival and prodeath characteristics. In particular, the critical role of cytoplas...

Notch signaling is critical for the development of the nervous system. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (cdk5) is a neuronal kinase involved in neuronal development and phosphorylates a number of neuronal cytoskeletal proteins. To determine the relationship between Notch and cdk5 signaling, we tested the effects of the Notch inhibitor, N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-1-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl es...