Overview:

EEF2K is a highly conserved calmodulin-dependent protein kinase that links activation of cell surface receptors to cell division. EEF2K is involved in the regulation of protein synthesis. It phosphorylates eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (EEF2), an abundant cytoplasmic protein that catalyzes the movement of the ribosome along mRNA during translation in eukaryotic cells, and inhibits the EEF2 function (1). EEF2K is highly expressed in heart and skeletal muscle, suggesting that EEF2 phosphorylation may be particularly important in muscle. EEF2K is highly expressed in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (2) as well as in many cancers.

Gene Aliases:

eEF-2K, HSU93850, MGC45041

Genbank Number:

NM_013302

References:

1. Ryazanov, A. G. et al; Identification of a new class of protein kinases represented by eukaryotic elongation factor-2 kinase. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 94: 4884-4889, 1997.

2. Arora, S. et al; Detection of anti-elongation factor 2 kinase (calmodulin-dependent protein kinase III) antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 293: 1073-1076, 2002.