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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Pull-down of Calmodulin-binding Proteins
Published on: January 23, 2012
cDNA cloning and expression of human calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV
T Kitani1, S Okuno, H Fujisawa
1Department of Biochemistry, Asahikawa Medical College, Hokkaido.
Insights
Researchers isolated and sequenced a human cDNA clone for Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaM-kinase IV). This protein kinase, abundant in the brain, showed high sequence identity to its rat counterpart.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaM-kinase IV) is a calcium-responsive enzyme.
- It is notably abundant in the brain and thymus.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize the human cDNA encoding CaM-kinase IV.
- To determine the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of human CaM-kinase IV.
- To compare the human sequence with its rat ortholog.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of a human cDNA clone from a Jurkat cell library.
- Nucleotide sequencing of the cDNA.
- Western blot analysis using a polyclonal antibody against recombinant human CaM-kinase IV.
Main Results:
- A human cDNA clone encoding a 473-amino acid protein (51,925 Da) was identified.
- The human sequence exhibited 81% nucleotide and 80% amino acid identity to the rat enzyme.
- Western blots detected two human CaM-kinase IV isoforms (60 and 61 kDa) in Jurkat cells and cross-reacted with rat isoforms (62 and 64 kDa).
Conclusions:
- The study successfully cloned and sequenced human CaM-kinase IV.
- Significant sequence homology exists between human and rat CaM-kinase IV.
- The findings provide molecular insights into CaM-kinase IV structure and potential isoforms.
Abstract:
Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaM-kinase IV) is a Ca(2+)-responsive multifunctional protein kinase which occurs abundantly in the brain and thymus. A human cDNA clone encoding CaM-kinase IV was isolated from a Jurkat cell cDNA library and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The cDNA sequence encoded a protein consisting of 473 amino acids with a molecular weight of 51,925. The nucleotide sequence for the coding region and the deduced amino acid sequence showed 81 and 80% identities with those of the rat enzyme, respectively. Western blot analysis, using a polyclonal antibody raised against the recombinant human CaM-kinase IV, which was expressed in Escherichia coli, revealed two bands corresponding in mobility to molecular weights of 60,000 and 61,000, respectively, in a Jurkat cell extract. The antibody also cross-reacted with both isoforms of CaM-kinase IV from rat cerebellum, the apparent molecular weights being 62,000 and 64,000, respectively.
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