Serine/threonine-protein kinase DCLK1

DCLK1 is a serine/threonine protein kinase of 740 amino acids that likely functions in calcium-signaling pathways governing neuronal migration during brain development and may contribute to mature nervous system functions (UniProt: O15075). The protein has been studied primarily in the context of neuronal development and migration.

DCLK1 shows relevance to Alzheimer's Disease based on post-mortem proteomics analysis. In human AD brain tissue compared to age-matched controls, DCLK1 was consistently down-regulated across the examined subcellular fractions (mean log2 fold-change: −0.36) by quantitative mass spectrometry (Chaparral AD proteomics). This modest but consistent reduction suggests altered calcium-signaling capacity in the AD brain. The functional consequences of reduced DCLK1 in neurodegeneration warrant further investigation.