Isoform 2 of Serine/threonine-protein kinase TAO2

TAOK2 (Serine/threonine-protein kinase TAO2) is a serine/threonine kinase encoded by the TAOK2 gene, with isoform 2 comprising 1049 amino acids (UniProt: Q9UL54-2). TAO kinases are evolutionarily conserved regulators of cytoskeletal dynamics and cell polarity, functioning downstream of Ste20-like kinase pathways.

TAOK2 is broadly expressed across tissues and participates in signaling cascades regulating actin organization, cell migration, and stress responses. While UniProt records no curated disease associations for this protein, it has been investigated in the context of neurological conditions given its role in cellular polarity and kinase-mediated signaling.

TAOK2 isoform 2 shows decreased abundance in Alzheimer's disease brain tissue. In post-mortem AD brain samples compared to age-matched controls (TMT-labeled quantitative proteomics across four subcellular fractions), this protein isoform was down-regulated with a mean log2 fold-change of −0.27 (Chaparral AD proteomics). This reduction may reflect altered kinase signaling or cytoskeletal remodeling dynamics in the AD brain.