BRSK2 Antibody / Brain-selective kinase 2

BR serine/threonine-protein kinase 2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the BRSK2 gene. BRSK2 was initially identified through a computer screen of the human genome and shows significant homology to the C. elegans neuronal cell polarity regulator SAD1. BRSK2 is expressed in the brain and to a lesser extent in the testes. BRSK2 is a member of the AMP-activated protein kinase subfamily and can be activated by the tumor suppressor kinase LKB1. More recently, it has been shown that both BRSK2 and the related protein BRSK1 are required for mammalian neuronal polarization. While BRSK1- and BRSK2-null mice were viable, double-mutant mice died within two hours of birth. Neurons from these mice showed uniformly-sized neurites as opposed to the normal long axon and multiple shorter dendrites. These neurites also displayed both axonal and dendritic markers. BRSK2 has also been shown to be an autoantigen in paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis. At least four isoforms of BRSK2 are known to exist.