ALTERNATIVE SPLICING OF STY, A NUCLEAR DUAL-SPECIFICITY KINASE

The LAMMER subfamily of kinases has been conserved throughout evolutio n, and its members are thought to play important roles in the regulati on of cellular growth and differentiation programs. STY is a murine LA MMER kinase which has been implicated in the control of PC12 cell diff erentiation. Multiple transcripts are derived from the Sty gene, and t heir relative abundance is developmentally regulated, Alternative spli cing of the primary Sty transcript generates mRNAs encoding full-lengt h catalytically active (STY) and truncated, kinase-deficient polypepti des. Both STY and its truncated isoform, STYT, are localized in the nu cleus and are capable of heterodimerizing. We also demonstrate that ST Y functions as a dual specificity kinase in mammalian cells.