| Modification Notes |
MINK1 (misshapen-like kinase 1, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 6, GCK family kinase MINK) is a 1,332 amino acid protein en-coded by the human gene MINK1. MINK1 belongs to the protein kinase superfamily, Ste Ser/Thr protein kinase family, Ste20 subfamily and contains one CNH domain and one protein kinase domain. MINK1 acts as a serine/thre-onine kinase and may play a role in the response to environmental stress. It appears to act upstream of the Jun N-terminal pathway and may play a role in the development of the brain. MINK1 is expressed in all tissues with highest expression found in the brain. Thymocytes that engage MHC-self peptide complexes with intermediate affinity are expanded in the thymus through a process of positive selection, whereas those that bind to these complexes with high affinity are eliminated through a process of negative selection. MINK1 is thought to be an essential component of the signaling element that couples the T cell receptor for negative, but not positive, selection. |