Death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) is a member of the Ca(2+)/calmodulin-regulated family of serine/threonine protein kinases. The role of the kinase activity of DAPK in eukaryotic cell apoptosis and the ability of bioavailable DAPK inhibitors to rescue neuronal death after brain injury have made it a drug-discovery target for neurodegenerative disorders. In order to understand the recogniti...

Death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) provides a model for calcium-bound calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinases (CaMKs). Here, we report the crystal structure of the binary DAPK-CaM complex, using a construct that includes the DAPK catalytic domain and adjacent autoregulatory domain. When DAPK was in a complex with CaM, the DAPK autoregulatory domain formed a long seven-turn helix. This DA...

Death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) is a calmodulin-regulated serine/threonine kinase and possesses apoptotic and tumor-suppressive functions. However, it is unclear whether DAPK elicits apoptosis-independent activity to suppress tumor progression. We show that DAPK inhibits random migration by reducing directional persistence and directed migration by blocking cell polarization. These effec...

Death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) is a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine kinase that is thought to mediate apoptosis. DAPK is highly expressed in hippocampal neurons which are essential elements for memory formation. To examine if DAPK is implicated in spatial learning and memory, both wild-type and DAPK-mutant mice were subjected to Morris water maze tests. DAPK-mutant mice were ...

Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK) is an important serine/threonine kinase involved in various cellular processes, including apoptosis, autophagy, and inflammation. DAPK expression and activity are deregulated in a variety of diseases including cancer. Methylation of the DAPK gene is common in many types of cancer and can lead to loss of DAPK expression. However, the association between D...

Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is critical for inflammation and control of infection. The production of IL-1β depends on expression of pro-IL-1β and inflammasome component induced by inflammatory stimuli, followed by assembly of inflammasome to generate caspase-1 for cleavage of pro-IL-1β. Here we show that tumor suppressor death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) deficiency impaired IL-1β production in ...

Death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) was identified as a mediator of interferon (IFN)-induced cell death. How IFN controls DAPK activation remains largely unknown. Here, we identify the BTB-Kelch protein KLHL20 as a negative regulator of DAPK. KLHL20 binds DAPK and Cullin 3 (Cul3) via its Kelch-repeat domain and BTB domain, respectively. The KLHL20-Cul3-ROC1 E3 ligase complex promotes DAPK po...

BACKGROUND Central neurocytoma and oligodendroglioma are rare tumors of the central nervous system. However, diagnosis between these two types of tumors is challenging due to their many cytological and histological similarities. Death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) is a calcium/calmodulin-regulated serine/threonine protein kinase involved in many apoptosis pathways, and repressed expression o...

Death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) is a serine/threonine kinase that participates in the modulation of apoptosis and tumor suppression. Our previous study revealed high levels of DAPK protein expression in differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma cells. To clarify the role of DAPK in human endometrial adenocarcinomas, we down-regulated endogenous DAPK expression in HHUA cells, a well-diffe...

A recent study showed that both 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-stimulated apoptosis and Fas-mediated apoptosis in human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells are enhanced by targeted knockdown of endogenous death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) with DAPK small-interfering RNAs. Therefore, we investigated the DAPK survival signals in three 5FU-resistant subclone...