Characterization of the Prk1 protein kinase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe

We report the isolation and characterization of a protein kinase from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The proposed Prk1 protein contains 352 amino acids and has significant homology to the Ume5p kinase (also known as Srb10p, Ssn3p and Are1p) of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a cyclin-dependent kinase involved in regulating the transcription of a diverse set of genes. Disruption of the prk1 gene increases flocculation but does not appear to have any other significant effect on cell behaviour. This defect can be overcome by expressing the UME5 gene, indicating that Prk1 is the fission yeast homologue of Ume5p.